building codes and their consistent administration. For all structures codes provide personal safety for the owners and occupants. Codes protect future purchasers of structures who deserve reasonable assurance that the structure they are buying is safe. Codes ensure strong economic wellbeing of a community by reducing potential spread of fire and disease. Lastly, a city with adopted codes and adequate administration will save property owners money on utilities and insurance.

The City of Bryan is fortunate to have both a Building Department and a Fire Marshal’s office that oversees the adoption of building codes and the administration of the adopted codes for the city. If you need more information about building codes please visit us on the web at www.bryantx.gov and go to the Building Services section or call 979-209-5010.

Each year many disasters take place around the world that affect our built environment. Earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, fires, floods, etc., are why building codes have been developed and adopted. One major goal of building codes is to help prevent injuries and deaths.

In 1893 Chicago was in the middle of a drought and the city was built of almost entirely wood structures, wood sidewalks, and even wood plank roads. All these wooden structures were constructed with little or no rules or restrictions. The city is in an area with harsh winters, so most sheds and commercial buildings were packed with large amounts of fire wood. It was a recipe for disaster and that is just what happened when a barn caught fire in a residential neighborhood. In three days, 3.3 square miles of the city was destroyed by fire and hundreds were killed.

Tragedy’s like the Chicago fire and even events such as the terrorist

attack on the World Trade Center Towers have resulted in new and/or revised building codes to help prevent injuries or deaths for when the next disaster strikes. The Chicago fire revealed the need and importance for building separations, non-combustible construction, thorough safety inspections, etc. The World Trade Center collapse investigations have led to additional exit stairways and special express elevators to aid in evacuations for tall buildings.

The nature of construction and all the systems involved in a structure such as electrical and plumbing represents a potential hazard to building occupants and users. Building codes provide safeguards. Although no code can eliminate all risks, reducing the risk to an acceptable level is the goal.

So the answer and truth is we all need building codes in our homes, offices, schools, factories, and places of entertainment and worship. History and current events have proven that we need

Building:

Who Needs Building Codes?

Engineering:

Unified Design Guidelines for Public Infrastructure

For over ten years the Cities of Bryan and College Station have worked closely to maintain unified design guidelines for public infrastructure which can be found on the www.bcsunited.net website. On this website you can find links to the Design Guidelines, Construction Specifications and Standard Construction Details.

As a reminder, construction plans submitted for review should include a cover letter (an example is available on the website) that acknowledges the design is in accordance with the design standards and if the design is not, list the items or areas where deviations occurred to facilitate staff review. If you have any

suggested changes to the guidelines, specifications or details, we encourage you to send them to either Paul Kaspar pkaspar@bryantx.gov or Cindy Menchaca cmenchaca@bryantx.gov and we will review them prior to the next revision cycle.

Who Needs Building

Codes?

1

Unified Design

Guidelines for Public

Infrastructure

1

LaurelHouse Studio

Townhome

Development near

Downtown Bryan

2

Development Stats 3

City of Bryan

Calendar

4

Inside this issue:

September 16, 2013

Volume 2, Issue 1

C i t y o f B r y a n

3 0 0 S o u t h T e x a s A v e n u e

B r y a n , T e x a s 7 7 8 0 3

Development & Engineering Services

Newsletter

September 16, 2013

For the first time in a long time, new residential development is occurring in the Downtown Bryan area. At the corner of North Houston and East 24th Street sits a 5-unit, multi-story townhome development currently under construction. Purchased in the Summer of 2012, developer BCS Modern teamed with local architecture firm LaurelHouse Studio to create a unique development on the empty ⅓-acre lot located just one block from the busy intersection of Texas Ave & William Joel Bryan. Knowing this was to be the first major new residential development in the area, the developer aimed to set the bar high, to create an exceptional and unique building in ideology, design and construction implementation.

The development is like nothing else offered within a hundred mile radius of Bryan, incorporating forward-thinking design and modern technology in a multi-family building. The design maintains aesthetic harmony with the surrounding homes while simultaneously incorporating modern features. The husband-wife design team of Chris & Rene Lawrence drew on architectural elements they found in the surrounding neighborhood. “It was important to us to draw inspiration from the context, but to not duplicate it out of respect to the time and era in which those homes were built,” explains Rene .

Each of the five homes are unique, and were carefully designed by local architects LaurelHouse Studio. “One of my favorite features is that each home has a lot of outdoor living spaces--patios, balconies

and rooftop terraces. Usually in multi-family situation your balcony ends up right next to your neighbors, so there is zero privacy when you step out on your balcony to enjoy your morning coffee. We paid close attention to lines of sight and privacy in the design so that each home’s outdoor living spaces are staggered, rather than adjacent to each other,” said Chris Lawrence, project architect.

The exterior envelope combines brick, wood siding and ground face CMU as the material palette. The CMU walls between each home create thermal, sound and fire barriers as well as providing a superior structural skeleton that will allow these buildings to remain viable for many years to come.

When you have a chance to take a tour of the homes, be sure to look up. Take notice of the ductless mini-split heat pump cassettes, an eco-smart energy-efficient mechanical A/C

and heat system used widely across the world. These user-friendly units are as high-tech in look as they are in function: they allow owners to control cooling or heating independently by room or by zones. For

instance - lets say you’re entertaining - you could cool the kitchen and dining room to a cooler temperature than the rest of the house. Additionally, being a ductless system, cold or hot air is dumped directly into living spaces bypassing long, poorly insulated ductwork found in traditional systems.

The energy saving systems don’t stop there - even the water systems in each home take advantage of modern technology. Hot water is delivered directly to each faucet via its own hot water line fed by an instant-on water heater. The heaters are activated by less than .2 gallons of flow and contain an internal recirculation pump to ensure that hot water reaches the faucet as quickly as possible. What does this mean for the owner? Less time waiting for hot water, which reduces waste while improving efficiency.

Overall the development is the first step for BCS Modern in their efforts to help the revitalization efforts in the Downtown area. “There’s always a risk being the first movers in a market, especially with such a unique product. But we’re confident now is the time for Downtown, and this is the quality of development we need to attract long-term residents. All indicators show Downtown is headed up from here, and we are excited to be part of it,” says Rene Lawrence. Chris adds, “the success of this project will most certainly lead others to join in revitalization efforts and, ultimately, help restore Downtown to the prominence it once held in our community.”

Planning:

LaurelHouse Studio Townhome Development on North Houston and West 24th Street

Page 2

Development & Engineering Services

Newsletter

September 16, 2013

Elevation of the LaurelHouse Studio townhome development near downtown Bryan, Texas.

Interior view of a bathroom in the LaurelHouse Studio townhome development

Page 3

Development & Engineering Services

Newsletter

September 16, 2013

Below is the building report spreadsheet which contains building permit information for all projects permitted through the City of Bryan. The first row is a month-by-month comparison based on the current year and the past year. The next row is a year-to-date total of all permits and their project value. These values are also available online at www.bryantx.gov under the Building Services department. If you have any questions, please call the Building Services Departments at 979-209-5010.

City of Bryan - Building Report

AUGUST 2013 AUGUST 2012

Permit Type Total Value Permit Type Total Value

Residential-Single Family 12 $2,374,968.0 Residential-Single Family 15 $2,819,826.00

Residential - New 2 Unit Bldgs 0 $0.00 Residential - New 2 Unit Bldgs 0 $0.00

Residential - New 3-4 Unit 0 $0.00 Residential - New 3-4 Unit 0 $0.00

Residential - New 5+ Unit Bldgs 0 $0.00 Residential - New 5+ Unit Bldgs 1 $50,000.00

Residential - Add/Alter/Reno 44 $419,659.00 Residential - Add/Alter/Reno 70 $593,408.46

Manufactured Homes 2 $49,000.00 Manufactured Homes 4 $82,000.00

Demolition 8 $0.00 Demolition 15 $0.00

Commercial - New Construction 3 $327,225.00 Commercial - New Construction 5 $4,409,852.00

Commercial - Add/Alter/Reno 15 $676,430.00 Commercial - Add/Alter/Reno 17 $2,435,596.00

Swimming Pools 5 $260,000.00 Swimming Pools 0 $0.00

Signs 19 $0.00 Signs 8 $0.00

TOTALS 108 $4,107,282.0 TOTALS 135 $10,390,682.46

JANUARY-AUGUST 2013 JANUARY-AUGUST 2012

Permit Type Total Value Permit Type Total Value

Residential-Single Family 121 $25,929,412. Residential-Single Family 121 $23,623,347.00

Residential - New 2 Unit Bldgs 1 $50,000.00 Residential - New 2 Unit Bldgs 2 $309,408.00

Residential - New 3-4 Unit 0 $0.00 Residential - New 3-4 Unit 0 $0.00

Residential - New 5+ Unit Bldgs 2 $2,740,800.0 Residential - New 5+ Unit Bldgs 6 $2,915,280.00

Residential - Add/Alter/Reno 389 $3,368,211.6 Residential - Add/Alter/Reno 505 $3,934,149.33

Manufactured Homes 59 $1,513,480.0 Manufactured Homes 34 $691,140.00

Demolition 62 $0.00 Demolition 80 $0.00

Commercial - New Construction 20 $27,367,805. Commercial - New Construction 39 $32,555,139.00

Commercial - Add/Alter/Reno 143 $11,224,147. Commercial - Add/Alter/Reno 108 $6,336,334.78

Swimming Pools 20 $874,156.00 Swimming Pools 12 $635,500.00

Signs 136 $0.00 Signs 91 $0.00

TOTALS 953 $73,068,011. TOTALS 998 $71,000,298.11

Page 4

Development & Engineering Services

Newsletter

September 16, 2013

City Holiday—Office closed

City Council Meeting—Council Chambers, 300 S. Texas Avenue

Planning and Zoning Commission Meetings

Historic Landmark Commission Meetings

Zoning Board of Adjustment Meetings

Building and Standards Commission

Every Tuesday Site Development Review Committee (due Wednesday by noon)

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