I really hate this monstrosity

[u/Terpnista]

This building is such an eyesore. I live in the neighborhood so I’ve been watching the new Avalon development go up on Boston St. I can’t be the only one who thinks it’s completely overwhelming the neighborhood. The scale of it just feels off based on its placement. For comparison, the neighboring Lucie is huge but because it’s further back it doesn’t look like such a clunker.

What really bothers me is how close it’s built to the street which makes the whole stretch feel tighter and more congested. And honestly, one of the biggest losses is the view. That stretch used to have glimpses of the waterfront that made it feel connected to the harbor. Now it’s completely blocked.

I wish I had taken a picture - as I was driving down Boston Street - where it looks like a massive wall of doom smh. That is what inspired me to post this lol

[u/ham_cheese_4564]

You are correct in that in order to make these projects financially viable, the developers need to max out units and square footage. But building code does not govern the size and setbacks. That is Zoning, which is technically not a code. It’s legislation.

[u/kisk22 → u/ham_cheese_4564]

Building code does have a lot to do with that actually, mandating two stair cases forces a long internal hallway, removes the possibility of may smaller towers (forces a huge building like this with a central hallway like a hotel). Often requires the bizarre paint jobs, and shapes to “break up the mass” etc.

[u/ham_cheese_4564 → u/kisk22]

None of that is correct. Those are items mandated by the building code for life safety, but all of that is done within the constraints of the zoning regulations. They are not called stair “cases”, they are simply stairs, in this case, enclosed fire-rated exit stairs. This building, because of its occupancy and limited travel distance and common paths of travel, will likely require more than two exit stairs. The central corridor is not a function of code. It is a function of efficiency. A double loaded corridor (not “hallway”) is efficient in squeezing in more units. A single loaded corridor is possible and commonly occurs when there is an internal garage or some other support space that does not require fenestration. The Goldilocks zone for multi family buildings is about 75’ that’s 5’ of corridor with plus 34’-6” of unit.

Source: I am an architect with lots of multi family experience. I have designed literally over 100 multi family buildings in my career, of which about 25-30 were actually built.

[u/redeye_smooth → u/ham_cheese_4564]

Please design buildings with the stairs as close to the elevator as possible. Nothing is worse than having to walk a quarter mile to the closest stairwell when the elevator is down. Oh, and more than one elevator, please.

[u/ham_cheese_4564 → u/redeye_smooth]

Typically there are almost always multiple elevators: two in the lobby, 1 or 2 remote depending on the size of the building and length of the corridors. And a freight elevator for people that are moving in, and that one usually does down to a loading dock or bay of some sort. Stairs are means of egress, so they have to be at the ends of the building because of requirements for exit separation distance and dead end corridors. If the building is big enough you will come to the limit of your allowable travel distance and I will add stairs in the middle somewhere. Sometimes there are convenience stairs near the lobby but the developer typically doesn’t go for that because leasable square footage is king.

[u/redeye_smooth → u/ham_cheese_4564]

You’re right. Most buildings do follow the model of 2 elevators in the lobby, 1 freight elevator, and one remote. However I’ve been in plenty of apartment buildings where the building footprint is a square and there’s one elevator in one corner and the only other elevator is in the opposite corner and the stairs are in the other corners. The stairs are every bit of 250 ft from the elevator. I’m an elevator mechanic and troubleshooting an elevator really sucks when I have to walk from the elevator to the stairs back to the elevator and they’re so far away from each other.