5-over-1

For the smartphone, see OnePlus 5.

5-over-1 or over-1s, also known as a one-plus-five or a podium building,^[1] is a type of multi-family residential building commonly found in urban areas of North America.^[2][3] The mid-rise buildings are normally constructed with four or five wood-frame stories above a concrete podium, usually for retail or resident amenity space.

4-over-1

4-over-1 garage on bottom floor

4-over-1 and 3-over-1 in the background

5-over-1 style apartment buildings in Austin, Texas

The name derives from the maximum permissible five floors of combustible construction (Type III or Type V) over a fire-resistive Type I podium of one floor for "5-over-1" or two floors for "5-over-2", as defined in the United States-based International Building Code (IBC) Section 510.2.^[1][4] Some sources instead attribute the name to the wood framing of the upper construction; the International Building Code uses "Type V" to refer to non-fireproof structures, including those framed with dimensional lumber.^[5][6]

The style of buildings originated with the work of architect Tim Smith in Los Angeles, who took advantage of a change in construction code allowing the use of fire-retardant treated wood (FRTW) to construct buildings up to five stories.^[5][7] From this he saw that what became the "Five-Over-One" model would bring the construction costs down substantially, making a 100-unit affordable housing project financially viable.^[5]

The style took root in New York and other dense cities in the American Northeast following the revisions in the 2000 IBC edition,^[5] and it exploded in popularity in the 2010s, following a 2009 revision to IBC, which allowed up to five stories of wood-framed construction.^[8]

Description

The first recorded example of 5-over-1 construction is an affordable housing apartment building in Los Angeles built in 1996.^[7] The wood-framed 5-over-1 style is popular due to its high density and relatively lower construction costs compared to steel and concrete.^[9] 5-over-1 buildings often feature secure-access interior hallways with residential units on both sides, which favors a U, E, C, or right-angle building shape.^[7] The exteriors of 5-over-1 buildings often contain flat windows, rainscreen cladding, and Hardie board cement fiber panels.^[2]

These buildings are also sometimes called a Wrap or Texas Doughnut, which describes a multifamily building which is wrapped around a parking garage in the center.^[10][11] This style is common in areas with higher parking mandates.^[7]

 

1-over-1 studio condos

 

Parking and utilities down below

19 condos and 22 parking spaces below
Heat pump on the balcony

Criticism

The 5-over-1 style of buildings are often criticized for their high fire risk when under construction,^[12] as well as their architectural blandness.^[2][7][13] Some cities and jurisdictions have considered additional regulations for multi-story wood-framed structures. After an under construction apartment complex burned to the ground in downtown Waltham, Massachusetts in 2017, the city council voted 14–0 to request that the state reevaluate the building code for 5-over-1 buildings.^[14] The borough of Edgewater, New Jersey, introduced a resolution calling on the state of New Jersey to enact stricter fire safety regulations for wood-framed buildings following a large fire that occurred in the wood-framed Avalon at Edgewater apartments in 2015.^[15]

The 5-over-1 style of apartment buildings are also associated with gentrification, due to the popularity of the building style in neighborhoods affected by development-induced displacement. However, new housing at market rates (which may include 5-over-1-style buildings) has been shown to loosen the market for lower-quality housing, making it a possible anti-displacement tool.^[6][16][17]

See also

• Little Boxes ("Ticky tacky")
• Mixed-use development
• Studio apartment
• Three-decker (house)

References

1. "Code Path and Requirements for Podium Projects". WoodWorks. from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
2. Sisson, Patrick (December 4, 2018). "Why do all new apartment buildings look the same?". Curbed. Vox Media. from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
3. Fesler, Stephen (May 23, 2018). "City Council Allows Taller Wood Buildings, Reforms Street Vacation Process and Advances Waterfront LID". The Urbanist. from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
4. Malone, Terry (January 2017). "5-over-2 Podium Design". Structure Magazine. from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
5. Banton, Lawrence (April 16, 2021). "Why All New Apartment Buildings Look Identical". Cheddar News. from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
6. Desmas, Jerusalem (September 10, 2021). "In defense of the "gentrification building"". Vox. from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
7. Fox, Justin (February 13, 2019). "Why America's New Apartment Buildings All Look the Same". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
8. (PDF). Engineering News-Record. March 26, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 11, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
9. Azoff, Rachel A. (July 1, 2009). "Multifamily Developers Turn to Wood-Frame Construction to Cut Costs". Multifamily Executive. from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
10. Kostelni, Natalia (June 27, 2014). "Developer to break ground on apartment complex in King of Prussia". Philadelphia Business Journal. American City Business Journals. from the original on November 6, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
11. Holstein, Amara. "A Fresh Flavor of the Texas Doughnut". Build A Better Burb. from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
12. Sperance, Cameron (August 3, 2017). "CRE Hypes Safety Of Wood-Frame Construction In Wake Of National Fires". Bisnow Media. from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
13. Portillo, Ely (December 20, 2015) [2015-12-19]. "Why so many of Charlotte's new apartments look alike (and why some are calling for change)". The Charlotte Observer. from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
14. Laidler, John (August 1, 2017). "Waltham fire spurs call for tighter state building code". The Boston Globe. from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
15. Curley, Michael W. (March 23, 2018). "Edgewater wants law to prevent fires like Avalon". NorthJersey.com. Gannett. from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
16. Grabar, Henry (March 29, 2022). "New Buildings Do Change Neighborhoods—Mostly for the Better". Slate. from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
17. Chakraborty, Ranjani (February 14, 2022). "Why "gentrification buildings" are misunderstood". Vox. from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2022.