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Russell Sergeant AIA
Firm Owner
R E Sergeant AIA Architect
Mystic CT
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Years ago [1981] I did an analysis of New York City lofts from a perspective of light and air and fire safety considerations. Building codes were based on and derived from tenement house laws that resulted in minimum conformity for light courts, ceiling heights and window openings. We used an early daylighting program developed by NASA to determine actual daylighting within units of various types: tenement houses, luxury apartments on the Upper East Side as well as lofts in Tribeca, Soho and midtown. Because of higher ceiling heights and much larger windows, the lofts exceeded the natural light available in almost all of the traditionally accepted housing types. My perspective is that with careful design using borrowed light and well placed openings that maintain privacy, spaces without direct daylighting could be accomodated.
Chapter 34 of the IBC, Existing Structures provides guidance for maintaining buildings that don't meet present code requirements but mainly for fire safety and accessibility. Perhaps a performance standard could be developed within that section that would recognize windowless loft spaces that are different than the more common residential building types.
BTW: after extensive research including meeting with two FDNY captains it was determined that deaths in fires in loft building s with single means of egress were non-existent. This was probably a result of fire suppression and the income levels of the occupants. The first is easy to regulate the second nearly impossible for a number of reasons.