Cheap stick framing has led to a proliferation of blocky, forgettable mid-rises—and more than a few construction fires.
Bloomberg Businessweek
| Justin Fox
These buildings are in almost every U.S. city.
They range from three to seven stories tall and can stretch for blocks.
They’re usually full of rental apartments, but they can also house
college dorms, condominiums, hotels, or assisted-living facilities.
Close to city centers, they tend toward a blocky, often colorful
modernism; out in the suburbs, their architecture is more likely to
feature peaked roofs and historical motifs. Their outer walls are
covered with fiber cement, metal, stucco, or bricks.
In the U.S., stick framing appears to have become
the default construction method for apartment complexes as well. The big
reason is that it costs much less—I heard estimates from 20 percent to
40 percent less—than building with concrete, steel, or masonry. Those
industries have sponsored several studies disputing the gap, but most
builders clearly think it exists.
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