Charles Rollins

If you’ve done any traveling across the country in the last few years, you may have noticed that our once unique cities are drifting towards conformity with a new style of building called “5 over 1”. 5 over 1 or a podium building is five floors of wood framed construction over a concrete base. This style of building is now the cheapest way to build apartments/condos in the US and some projects in the Wildwoods are employing a style similar to 5 over 1.  

How did this style of building become so prevalent throughout the country? Some causes are tighter building codes, stricter zoning laws, loss of locally produced materials, and the replacement of skilled trades with off-the-shelf products. All of these factors combine to create a climate where developers need to rely on pre-existing templates for success rather than having the freedom to try creative and new ideas.

Gilliam McDaniel, a mechanical engineer writes on the site n4rd.org: “Use of standard building materials and processes creates a recognizable aesthetic that is often wildly unpopular. Many describe it as bland, devoid of architectural detail, and an eyesore in cities known for ornate and historic building styles. These concerns are not unfounded - the blocky and homogenous structures can be a jarring visual contrast to the established cityscape.”

There’s a debate to be had around the amount of building codes property owners need to follow or how strict zoning should be (or even if zoning should exist at all!). Maybe if these new generic buildings helped provide more affordable housing then it would be worth it in the long run to go with 5 over 1 buildings? The problem is that these buildings are sold at luxury price points so even with sacrificing the beauty and uniqueness of a town, we are not even gaining affordable housing for local residents or workers. As McDaniel says, 5 over 1 construction “prioritizes profit over people while masquerading as affluence. It blends the unique appearances of US cities into an amorphous and sterilized blob.” 

With the Wildwoods already taking a turn towards the sterilized blob in the early 2000s from the building boom of cookie-cutter condos, the next phase of conformity coming to the island could be 5 over 1 construction . As a citizen the best thing to do is attend planning and zoning meetings, watch for the new projects presented, and if you feel they are turning the Wildwoods more into Peoria or Seattle than the  unique New Jersey shore town you love, then exercise your rights and voice your opinion that you’d like to see a little more pride in the local area with designs that reflect the culture and history of the Wildwoods instead of luxury buildings that don’t address a need for affordable housing and push our community further into the amorphous global collective.   

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial board.

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