The Live-Work Unit: Some general code problems and solutions

New Urban News Technical Page by Andres Duany, Michael Morrissey, and Patrick Pinnell

In the following discussion of characteristic code issues with live-work units, three assumptions are made. The first is that the work component occurs on the ground floor only, directly accessible from a public face of the building. The second is that the dwelling either actively shares the work space, or alternatively is located separately above or behind it. And third, it is assumed the work activity occurs in a building that is primarily a dwelling and is set on its own lot. Other arrangements fall into other type categories, requiring their own practices.

Requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.  or “handicapped” requirements) are relatively recent and, while in general a laudable innovation, they must be regarded as evolving towards greater precision in understanding and application. An elevator in what is still predominantly a private dwelling is disproportionately expensive and technically unnecessary, so long as the working component is on the ground floor. A level entrance from the sidewalk, door openings 32 inches wide, and 40-inch-wide corridors should suffice as accessibility requirements. This standard should hold within all three function categories (Limited, Controlled, and Open; see the previous Technical Page).