Many American cities have taken up the question of the regulation of the maximum height of buildings, and the following are ex cerpts from several of their regulations: Bal timore, Md.: No building more than 175 feet, except that towers, spires or belfries in fire proof buildings may extend to a greater height. Boston, Mass.: No ordinance, but building regulations provide the following:: City divided into districts. District A, buildings of fire proof construction may be erected to a height of 125 feet; in another district, to a height of 100 feet; in a third, to 80 feet; but the build ings in these latter districts are not of the same construction as in District A. Buffalo, N. Y.: °Outside the fire limits of the city of Buffalo, it shall be lawful to erect frame build ings not exceeding 50 feet in height from the sidewalk to the highest point of roof." Cleve land, Ohio: "No building or other structure hereafter erected except a church spire, shot tower, water tower or smokestack, shall be of a height exceeding times the width of the wid est street upon which the building faces, but no building shall be over 200 feet high." Denver, Colo.: "No building or structure to exceed 12 stories except spires, towers, smokestacks, etc. All buildings or structures more than 125 feet high to be absolutely fireproof." Los Angeles, Cal.: Fire district, one story only, and not over 16 feet high. Class A. All buildings up held by masonry or reinforced concrete or framework of steel or iron. Fireproof or skeleton construction. No building over 150 feet high, allowing 30 feet for mansard roof — not more than seven stories. Class B. Ma sonry or masonry and steel, and iron and steel buildings, supporting iron or steel masonry. No. over 100 feet high, nor more than eight stories. Class C. Masonry or reinforced con crete walls, floors not wholly carried by steel columns and girders or reinforced concrete and masonry-85 feet high, not more than six stories, exclusive of basements. Class D. All buildings not included in A, B and C, not more than 50 feet high, nor more than four stories." Louisville, Ky.: "No nonfireproof building or structure dutside the fire limits shall exceed 70 feet in height, but this shall not apply to spires of churches or similar buildings outside of the fire limits which may be constructed of wood to a height of 125 above the curb level." Portland, Ore.: °Class I (Absolutely fireproof), 12 stories, or 160 feet. Class II (Fireproof, short span), 12 stories, or 160 feet. Class III (Fireproof, long span), 10 stories, or 140 feet. Class IV (Semi-fireproof), 6 stories, or 85 feet. Class V (Mill construc tion), 6 stories, or 85 feet. Class VI (Ordi nary construction), 4 stories, or 60 feet. Class VII (Frame construction), 3 stories, or 42 feet.* Providence, R. I.: No ordinance. Building regulations provide: "No nonfire proof building or structure hereafter should exceed 65 feet in height. No fireproof build ing (ordinary) or structure hereafter erected shall exceed 120 feet in height, except that structures or appendages may be built upon roofs of said buildings not exceeding 20 feet in height, provided that said structure or ap pendage shall be built of incombustible ma terial throughout. Every building erected or altered to be used as a theatre or public station which exceeds 3 stories or more than 40 feet in height, shall be built fireproof (absolute) except as hereinafter specified." Rochester, N. Y.: No ordinance. Height reg ulated to conform to size and strength of foundations and construction of walls. San Francisco, Cal.: Fireproof buildings, 102 feet; semi-fireproof buildings, from 55 to 86 feet.
The regulation of the height of buildings is only one of the numerous rules made and en forced abroad. Among the important ones are those affecting the ratio of the •area of the building to that of the lot, the separation of buildings, classes of buildings, classes of areas between buildings, minimum number of rooms in an apartment, window area, height of ceilings and cubic air content of sleeping-rooms. Repre sentative figures are selected, which, though in many cases not applicable to American cities, will give a good idea of the regulations. The area of the lot which may be built over in cities in the grand duchy of Baden, the regula tions of which are regarded as being well worked out, varies according to the zone, from three-quarters to four-fifths of the total area. In
the outlying districts, these figures are reversed, it being permissible to build only over one quarter to one-fifth of the total area of the lot. In other cities the regulations vary, but are about on the same basis, a difference being made according to the zone.
The regulations abroad as regards the classes of buildings that may be used as work ingmen's homes require the apartment used by the family to consist of not less than three rooms —a living-room, a sleeping-room and a kitchen. The living-room is required to be of a certain size. In Wiesbaden, this is 75 square feet; throughout Baden, 107 square feet; in Karlsruhe, 130 square feet; in Mannheim, 160 square feet, at the minimum. In the last named city, the kitchen must not be less than 130 square feet in area. There are in addition re quirements as to the total area of the rooms, which in Dusseldorf, Magdeburg and through out Saxony must not he less than 320 square feet. The height of the rooms is generally placed at not less than two and a half metres, or 8.2 feet, while the window area must be from one-twelfth to one-sixth of the area of the floor, an average beihg one-tenth. The i minimum cubic air content of the rooms is also fixed by regulation at from 250 to 700 cubic feet, being in Baden 350 cubic feet.
Block and Zone The regula tions as to space not built upon are sometimes based on the number of families occupying a building. In Altona, 160 square feet per family must be left open in the main portions of the city, while in the suburbs, 1,100 square feet per family are prescribed. Among other rules are those in reference to light, there being pro visions to the effect that certain windows of buildings shall receive light at angles of from 30 to 60 degrees over the walls of others, but these regulations are of a somewhat compli cated nature and are not easily applied. In London, the right to "ancient light' has had the effect of causing theatres to be built prac tically underground, so that the highest priced seats are in the gallery near the street level, and the pit is far below.
In buildings in Germany in which the upper floor is 36 feet above the street, two stairways are usually required, though in exceptional in stances one is permitted. Every portion of the floor must be within 98 feet of a stairway. All stairways must extend to the roof, or, if the main stairway does not go to the roof ciliation of air in blocks is to leave openings at the ends of the blocks. The houses face all four sides of the block, but there are four openings at the rear of the houses on the ends of the block. Blocks of this kind are to be found in cities in England, Holland and in some German cities, notably Bremen. In some blocks the houses only face the sides of the block. The breeze is free to sweep the entire length, there being no houses at the ends. Such blocks are required by ordinance in the cities of Mannheim and Posen in Germany.
A large number of American cities have alleys bordered by dwellings, such, for example, as the city of Allentown, Pa. There the alleys have the form of a capital the two vertical bars of the "H" joining the main thorough fares. A new block plan was adopted in 1916 (see the illustration). The plan to eliminate all interior buildings and, instead of the middle bar of the "FP in the alley system, to have two narrow alleys, spaced 40 to 50 feet apart, was itself, an auxiliary stairway at least two and one-half feet wide must be provided to go to the roof. In many buildings the stairs are in a stairway house, that is to say, alcoves or lean-tos at the side of the building, of a fire proof construction. The shape of the stairhalls is regulated and under some circumstances no corner is allowed. The regulations in differ ent cities vary to some extent. In some build ings of more than two floors above the street, the floor must have two staircases, irrespective of their floor area. The main stairways must not he less than three and three-fourths feet in width, while the stairs to the roof and base ment must be three feet wide.