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
Codes and Standards | Jul 23, 2020
North Carolina will stop relying on FEMA flood mapping
State will identify flood zones on its own.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2020
New version of IAPMO’s Water Demand Calculator is available
Enhanced features include selection between single- and multifamily buildings.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2020
Mobile app calculates sound transmission for wood-framed assemblies
American Wood Council tool for floor-ceiling assemblies.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2020
Architecture billings remain in negative territory, begin to stabilize
Fewer architecture firms report declining billings this month.
Codes and Standards | Jul 20, 2020
N.Y. construction firm to pay $1.5 million to settle sexual harassment claim
Managers said to demand sex for pay and OT opportunities.
Codes and Standards | Jul 16, 2020
Tips to make optimal use of salvaged materials
Integrated teams, staging warehouse, and looking early and often, among recommendations.
Codes and Standards | Jul 15, 2020
Georgia gives the go-ahead for tall mass timber construction
Standards review scheduled to be completed by July 2021.
Codes and Standards | Jul 15, 2020
Softwood-lumber duties boost expenses amid COVID-19 outbreak
Little hope this year for resolution of trade dispute with Canada.
Codes and Standards | Jul 14, 2020
Metal Construction Assn. releases three EPD updates
Pertain to Metal Composite Materials, Insulated Metal Panels, and Roll Formed Aluminum and Steel Cladding.
Codes and Standards | Jul 13, 2020
5 must reads for the AEC industry today: July 13, 2020
4 technologies for improving building sanitation and tech's ever-evolving impact on the multifamily space.
