British Columbia has become the latest jurisdiction to permit small six-storey multi-family residential buildings to have just one staircase, with Canada’s third-largest province changing a rule that required three-storey buildings to have two exit staircases.
“With people struggling to find housing that meets needs, we have to find ways to innovate and build differently,” according to Ravi Kahlon, British Columbia’s Minister of Housing. “By adjusting BC’s building code to allow single egress stair buildings, we can boost housing supply and create more options for people and families who need larger layouts.”
Wood Central understands that the changes, first flagged in January 2024, avoid triggering high building requirements and retain the option to use combustible construction, such as mass timber, which is expected to skyrocket over the coming decades.
It comes as a government consultant returned a technical report recommending single staircase designs for buildings up to six storeys. In their report, the consultant advised the government to look at six-storey projects with small floor plates and only a handful of units per floor.
Touted as a new way to build more homes on smaller lots and in different configurations, the changes will allow more flexibility for multi-bedroom apartments, more density within transit-oriented development areas, and improved energy efficiency in buildings.
“Enabling more homes to be built on smaller lots could improve the financial viability of projects, which also helps reduce the need to form expensive land assemblies,” the consultant said.
Wood Central understands the changes only apply to municipal governments under the BC Building Code – with the City of Vancouver required to make 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, family-sized units and make low to mid-rise buildings more flexible. As we aim to harmonise the Vancouver Building Bylaw and the Provincial BC Building Code to avoid costly discrepancies, now is the time to act.
Beyond British Columbia, single-exit staircases are allowed in New York City, Seattle and many European cities. Since the 1970s, Seattle has allowed residential buildings up to six storeys with no more than four units per floor to be served by a single stairwell. Meanwhile, Germany allows a single staircase for office and residential buildings up to seven storeys.
Why British Columbia’s New Code Sparked a Mass Timber Drive
In March, Wood Central revealed that local developers could now build fully encapsulated all-timber buildings up to 18 storeys—a 50% increase permitted under the old code. It is the latest step in accelerating mass timber production across Canada, with Justin Trudeau spearheading a push to include the changes in the National Building Code.
According to Ravi Kahlon, British Columbia’s Minister of Housing, “the mass timber building code changes align with our recent work to deliver more homes near transit hubs by allowing taller buildings and more sustainable housing options near transit.”
Wood Central understands the changes apply to all residential, commercial, and institutional buildings in the province with Vancouver, one of Canada’s most densely populated cities, also introducing changes to its building code in June.
- To learn more about Justin Trudeau’s plan to encourage more timber and modular housing projects, click on Wood Central’s special feature.
