While some complain that Washington D.C.’s building height limit has resulted in lookalike, boxy buildings, an architecture critic views the restriction as a feature, not a bug.
John King writes of the “virtue of architectural monotony: a relentless horizontality where commercial canyons recede into the distance,” at The Atlantic’s City Lab web site. King describes the result as: “An awkward yet oddly endearing terrain where, absolutely, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.”
D.C.’s century-old zoning ordinance ties building heights to the width of adjacent streets. The formula translates to a maximum height of 130 feet, with another 20 feet for mechanical equipment and a penthouse, throughout most of the city.
The height restriction creates a distinctive look for the nation’s capital when authenticity is valued above all else, King says. “Cities tout any element that sets them apart, any rooted sense of place, any hint of local flavor,” he writes. “Idiosyncrasy is where it’s at.”
Related Stories
Steel Buildings | Apr 4, 2016
AISI publishes Cold-Formed Steel Framing Design Guide, 2016 Edition
Updates 2007 edition; includes five comprehensive design examples.
Data Centers | Apr 1, 2016
ASHRAE releases publication on the impact of IT equipment on data center design
The book offers advice for designing structures in the fast-changing data center industry.
Codes and Standards | Mar 28, 2016
Occupant egress simulations that impact codes fall short, researchers say
Building evacuations in emergencies are too dangerous as a result.
School Construction | Mar 28, 2016
National report on school buildings reports $46 billion annual funding shortfall
Millions of students said to be learning in obsolete facilities.
Codes and Standards | Mar 25, 2016
ASHRAE grants fund human thermal comfort database project
Aim is to help better understand thermal comfort in residential and commercial buildings.
Codes and Standards | Mar 25, 2016
OSHA finalizes new silica dust regulations
Construction industry has until June 2017 to comply.
Wood | Mar 23, 2016
APA updates Engineered Wood Construction Guide
Provides recommendations on engineered wood construction systems.
Codes and Standards | Mar 23, 2016
Affordable housing advocates differ on micro-apartment policy
New York’s luxury micro units could be first step to developing affordable units.
Codes and Standards | Mar 21, 2016
GRESB launches Health and Well-being Module for real estate industry
Optional supplement to environmental, social, and governance assessment.
Codes and Standards | Mar 4, 2016
U.S. Supreme Court lets San Jose affordable housing law stand
Law attempts to alleviate Silicon Valley’s high housing costs.