Austin's First Single Stair Apartment Building is Officially Underway

Months after Austin legalized single-staircase buildings up to five stories tall, the city’s first three-story, single-stair building acquired its permits.

According to an announcement by McKinney York Architects, who designed the project, in Building Design + Construction, “The simple concept of this six-unit apartment complex celebrates an open central stair that forms an inviting entry and divides the building into two discrete volumes. Limited to a 4,400-sf lot, the project prioritizes sustainability and efficiency by taking advantage of existing infrastructure already serving the central city.”

Single-staircase construction for residential buildings has been outlawed in some U.S. cities due to safety concerns, many of which are rendered obsolete by modern building materials and fire prevention mechanisms. Now, some cities and states are rolling back restrictions on single-stair buildings to make room for more flexible and dense housing developments.