Small multi-family residential buildings up to six storeys in height with just one exit staircase are now permitted in British Columbia.
“With people struggling to find housing that meets their needs, we have to find ways to innovate and build differently,” said Ravi Kahlon, BC Minister of Housing, in a statement today.
“By adjusting BC’s building code to allow single egress stair buildings, we can not only boost housing supply, but also create more options for people and families who need larger layouts and more bedrooms. This will allow people to live, grow and prosper in the communities they call home.”
The provincial government first indicated in January 2024 that it would study the safety and feasibility, efficiency, and safety of such a single staircase configuration for buildings up to eight storeys, as opposed to the previous building code policy requiring all multi-family residential buildings of three storeys or higher to have two exit staircases.
In June 2024, a consultant for the provincial government returned with a technical report that recommended single staircase designs for buildings up to six storeys.
In their report, the consultant recommended a maximum height of six storeys to avoid triggering high building requirements and to retain the option for combustible construction, such as using mass-timber materials. These buildings would have small floor plates with only up to a handful of units per floor.
This is being touted as a way to build more homes on smaller lots — perhaps even larger single-family lots — and in different configurations. It would also enable more flexibility for multi-bedroom apartments, more density within transit-oriented development areas, and potentially improved energy efficiency in buildings.
By enabling more homes to be built on smaller lots, this could improve the financial viability of projects, which also helps reduce the need to form expensive land assemblies.
The provincial government also adopted the consultant’s recommended safety and design measures, such as enhanced sprinklers, smoke-management systems, and wider stairwells.
It should be noted that the changes only apply to municipal governments under the BC Building Code. For such policies to be enacted within the City of Vancouver, it would require the municipal government to make separate changes to the Vancouver Building Code.
In a post on X, Vancouver city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung suggests she is keen on following the provincial government’s new allowances for such structures.
“I’m asking for this change in Vancouver to enable Single Egress Stair designs. [It] has long been on my radar to support larger, better quality, and family sized units and make low to mid-rise buildings more flexible. As we have a goal to harmonize the Vancouver Building Bylaw and the Provincial BC Building Code to avoid costly discrepancies, now is the time to act,” wrote Kirby-Yung today.
New building designs with a single exit staircase are already permitted in New York, Seattle, and many European cities.
Since the 1970s, Seattle‘s building code has allowed residential buildings up to six storeys with no more than four units per floor to be served by a single stairwell. Germany also permits SES for office and residential buildings up to 72 ft or roughly seven storeys.