Housing and Community Development

Unlocking Housing: Single Stair Reform

Following last summer’s National Single Stair Competition and the ongoing efforts across the country to legalize small footprint single stair buildings, this session focuses on single stair reform as a tool for unlocking housing in the United States. Led by moderator Chelsea Johnson, Principal of David Baker Architects, the program frames reform through fire life safety research and the design opportunities highlighted in the winning competition entries. Participants will hear a life safety presentation by Tom Jaleski, Principal of SGH, followed by brief talks from each competition winner showcasing innovative single-stair proposals for typical parcels in San Francisco, Portland, and Austin.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the core elements of single stair reform and how they differ from current housing code requirements.
• Identify jurisdictions across the country that have legalized single-stair buildings in their local building codes and situate the National Single Stair Competition within this broader context.
• Analyze key findings from recent life safety studies of limited-footprint single stair buildings.
• Explain the winning teams’ design approaches for the three competition sites, including implications for affordability, housing variety, small-scale infill development, and occupant access to light and air.