Live-Work Planning and Design

THOMAS DOLAN is the principal of Thomas Dolan Architecture (TDA) in Oakland, California. An architect, landscape and urban designer, and development and code consultant, Dolan designed the first purpose-built live-work complex constructed in the United States. He was instrumental in the development of the live-work building code for the city of Oakland. Dolan is active in the Congress for the New Urbanism and is the founder of the pioneering website www.live-work.com, which has been a resource for practitioners and users of live-work since 1998.

• Preface xi Acknowledgments xiiiChapter 1: Introduction: A Brief History and Description of Live-Work 1The Modem and the Shipping Container 2Zero Commute Living 4Overview of Live-Work 5Live-Work Types and Terminology 6Live-Work Planning and Urban Design 6The Role of Artists 7Building Codes 7Common Mistakes in Live-Work 8Retrofitting Suburbia 8Chapter 2: Defining Live-Work 10Live-Work Use Types 11Home Occupation 11Live/Work 12Work/Live 14Live-Work Proximity Types 16Live-With Proximity Type (Synonym: Loft) 17Live-Near Proximity Type 17Live-Nearby Proximity Type 18Live-Work Project Types 19Warehouse Conversion (District) 19Home Office 20Townhouse Project Type (Synonym: Shophouse) 21Flexhouse Project Type: A Building that Learns 21Courtyard Live-Work 22Urban Loft Complex 23High Density/Podium 24Other Definitions Related to Live-Work 25Lifestyle Loft (Synonym: Lawyer Loft) 25Telecommuting 25Telework Center (Synonym: Coworking) 25Cohousing 25Cohort Housing 26Zero-Commute Living 26Zero-Commute Housing 26District 26Neighborhood 26Live-Work Neighborhood 27New Urbanism 27Smart Growth 27Form-Based Coding 27The Transect 27Work-Use Intensities in Live-Work 28Chapter 3: Designing Live-Work: Meeting Its Unique Needs 29Genesis of Live-Work Design 29User Needs and Live-Work Design 31Project Types 34Renovation versus New Construction 34Rental versus For Sale 35Artists’ Lofts versus “Lifestyle Lofts” 36Work/Live and Home Occupation 36Design Elements in Live-Work 37Residential and Workspace Facilities 37Level of Finishes in a Live-Work Unit 39Accommodating and Relating to the Outside World 40Employees 40Walk-in Trade versus Client Visits by Appointment 40Parking: Open Commercial Access versus Residential Privacy and Security 40Design for Community 42Making a Place That Is More than the Sum of the Number of Units 42Common Residential Facilities 43Coworking Space 43Business Center 43Other Common Work Facilities 43Formal Community Types 44Common Live-Work Unit Designs 44Live-With Proximity Type 44Live-Near Proximity Type 46Live-Nearby Proximity Type 47Other Unit Configurations 49Development Types 49Live- Work Renovation Development 49Urban Infill Development 49Greenfield Development 51Design of Project Types 52Project Type: Warehouse Renovation 52Case Study: Willow Court 53Case Study: Clocktower Lofts 55Case Study: California Cotton Mills Studios 56Project Type: Live-Work Courtyard Community 58Case Study: South Prescott Village 59Project Type: Flexhouse 59Case Study: Serenbe 63Case Study: The Waters 64Case Study: Seaside 66Case Study: Mount Laurel 67Case Study: Hampstead 68Case Study: Glenwood Park 68Case Study: Pinetree Studios 69The Urban Design of Townhouses and Flexhouses 71Project Type: Housing over Retail and Live-Nearby 71Case Study: Rosemary Beach 72Case Study: Celebration 73Project Type: Infill Lofts 73Case Study: Yerba Buena Lofts 74Project Type: Podium/High-Rise Liners, Flexhouses, and Lofts 75Case Study: Liner Units at The Sierra 75Chapter 4: The Market for Live-Work 77Examining the Market for Live-Work 77The End-User Market for Live-Work 78The Developer/Investor Market for Live-Work 85Case Study: The Lofts at Habersham 87Marketing Live-Work 90Norton Commons 90The Basics of Marketing 91Selling Live-Work 91Marketing Materials 92Marketing Communications 92Conclusion 93Chapter 5: Live-Work and Community: A Natural Marriage 94Introduction Zero-Commute Living 95Building Live-Work, Building Community: An Interview with Architect Thomas Dolan 96Community Building with Live-Work 99Neighborhood Scale 99A Live-Work Neighborhood 100A Complete Neighborhood 101A Lifelong Community 101Live-Work Building Types and Community 103Design for Community in Multi-unit Live-Work Buildings 104An Important Discovery: The Live-Work Courtyard Community 106Case Study: Ocean View Lofts 107Chapter 6: Live-Work Planning Issues and Regulatory Solutions 110Introduction 111Placemaking with Live-Work and Form-Based Codes 113The Best Locations for Live-Work 118Planning for Live-Work Types as Parsed by Work-Use Intensity 120Home Occupation 120Live/Work 121Case Study: James Avenue Live-Work Compound 122Work/Live 123Planning for Live-Work Types as Parsed by Proximity Type 124Live-With Proximity Type 124Live-Near Proximity Type 125Live-Nearby Proximity Type 127Planning for Live-Work Types as Parsed by Project Type 128Artists’ Work/Live Rental Renovation 128Market Rate Live-Work Condominium Renovation 129New Construction Lofts 130The San Francisco Experience 130Live-Work Courtyard Communities 133Townhouse Live-Work 134Flexhouse 134Development Standards 136Relaxed Development Standards 136Work Uses Permitted 137Employees and Walk-In Trade 137New Construction versus Renovation 137Separation of Functions 139Maximum and Minimum Unit Size 139Proportion of Live to Work Area 140Open Space 140Parking and Traffic 140Loading 143Noise and Odor Generation 143Design Review 144Inclusionary Zoning 144Codes and Permitting Processes 144Social Issues and Planning Responses 145Warehouse Conversions and the SoHo Cycle 145The New Urban Workplace 146Rental versus Ownership 147Imported NIMBYism and its Impact on Commercial and Industrial Districts 148Residential Reversion 148Work/Live in Vancouver 149Disclosures, Covenants, Lease Clauses, and Nuisance Easements 149Gentrification 150Neighborhood Amenities 150Neighborhood Revitalization 150The Role of Artists in a City 151Urban Live-Work Revitalization Stories 151The Continuing Role of Artists and Others in the Evolution of Live-Work 154Legalization of Illegal or Quasi-Legal Live-Work 156Tribeca and Uptown: A Tale of Two Cities, Three Thousand Miles, and Forty Years Apart 156Case Study: Dutch Boy Studios 160Industrial Protection Zones 162Do-It-Yourself Development 101, A Possible Scenario 163Affordability 164Compact, Pedestrian-Oriented Communities 165Chapter 7: Live-Work Building Code Issues 167Regulating This Strange Animal Called Live-Work 167Overall Building Life Safety 168Building Code Primer 169Occupancy and Occupant Load Factor 168Construction Type, Height, and Allowable Area 173Wall Rating and Openings in Walls Near Property Lines 176Exits/Means of Egress 177Sprinklers 178Fire Alarms and Smoke Detectors 179Hazardous Occupancy 180Lateral Forces, Seismic Standards, and Change of Occupancy 181Floor Loads 183Codes That Apply within Live-Work Units 183Fire Separation within a Unit 183Separation between Units and between Units and a Corridor 184Emergency Escape and Rescue 184Mezzanines and Sleeping Lofts 185Habitability Issues: Minimum Residential Facilities 189Noise and Sound Transmission 195Energy Conservation 196Accessibility 197Administrative Modification Requests 197Shell Construction 198Building Code Issues by Project Type 198Townhouse 198Flexhouse 199Home Occupation 199New versus Renovation 199Master Building Code Matrix 199Chapter 8: Epilogue 200Appendix A: Toward a Model Live-Work Planning Code 202Use of Appendix A Tables 202Work Uses Permitted 202Work Use Intensities and Allowable Unit Areas 202Live-Work Location and Project Types 207Walk-in Trade and Employees by Location and Project Type 207Live-Work Planning Topics, Objectives and Suggested Regulations 207Appendix B: Model Live-Work Building Code System 2132009 International Building Code Section 419 213Building Code Provisions Not Spelled Out in IBCSection 419 213Code Provisions that Apply in Live-Work RenovationsOnly 219Artists’ Relaxations 219Legalization Process 221Shell Construction 221Mixed Occupancy 221Use of the Model Live-Work Building CodeSystem 221Appendix C: Live-Work Resources 223Books 223Web Sites 225Endnotes 226Index 227

"Dolan's book is an enormously knowledgeable guide to fitting work and living back together. It will be useful to architects, planners, builders, developers, and, most of all, urbanists." (Bettercities.net, June 2012)