The Code Change That Could Enable Mid-Rise Construction in Washington D.C.

"Soon, it might be a lot easier and less expensive to build mid-rise buildings along transit corridors in DC," according to Payton Chung, "thanks to a 2015 update to the International Building Code."

As Chung explains Washington D.C. "currently operates under the the 2012 version of the IBC, but will soon start reviewing the 2015 code for formal adoption." The kicker about the 2015 code is that it allows greater size for buildings made of light-framed buildings, of wood or steel, which are much cheaper than heavy-framed structures.

According to Chung, the updated version of the code allows buildings a compromise, "with a taller 'podium' of concrete framing." That construction type will allow developers to increase the area of the building by 23 percent while only increasing cost by 26 percent. Under the 2012 version of the code, an increase of 33 percent would have added 60 percent additional cost, due to the high cost of concrete.

Chung goes on to explain more of the details of the code update, with examples of how specific projects might change under the new code. One thing is clear: the new code would make it easier to build mid-rises in Washington D.C.