5 Over 1 Architecture

5 over 1's... also known as "dorm rooms for adults". They're everywhere. You've seen them. Everyone you know has seen them. You know the antics. Cheap building material accompainied by confusing color schemes.

Always named The View, The Yard, The Edge, The Park, or the District.

Always have clubhouses with a giant connect four, pool table, and shuffleboard besde a grill that never gets touched.

Always a pool that seems to be the main selling point, but too small to swim in.

We use to build things in this country. Now we build dorm room for adults.

What are 5 over 1's?

District of Deerfield 2026

5 over 1 is an American architecture style that refers to multi-family buildings with 4 or 5 stories of wood-frame residential units on top of a single story concrete podium (retail or parking).

In other words, 5 over 1's are America's way of providing as much residential and commercial space in the most cost effective way.

Being an architectural photographer in the 2020's, 5 over 1's have accounted for probably 60% of the projects I've done... and wow am I fatigued by them.

The issue isn't necessarily the concept of 5 over 1's. The concept actually makes a lot of sense. The bulk of our modern day economic issues have been with the housing market. There aren't enough places to live, and the places to live are too expensive.

Cities that are developing at fast rates need to keep up with the housing demands. So, our solution has been to produce these 5 over 1's. They're easy and cheap to build. You can house hundreds of people at a time. And you can over-charge to turn a profit fast.

So... what's the catch? I mean it sounds like 5 over 1's are great. They're checking all the boxes for developers and residents. They're the "best" way to keep up with supply and demand for fast developing cities.

Whats the fuss?

Let's take a look at a few examples of what i'm talking about:

The Radius

Here we have one of the most valuable plots of land in the city being overshadowed by one of the least inspiring architecture styles. The Radius is located at The Banks, sandwiched between two professional sports venues, atop some of the most visited restaurants and bars in Cincinnati, and alongside the #2 ranked riverwalk park in the United States.

This issue isn't solely on the lack of inspiration this building provides. If you want to build a 5 over 1, by all means, go for it. But don't put a 5 over 1 in a location like this.

Thousands of people walk by this building every day and mindlessly ignore it. The lost potential this building represents is sickening.

Liberty Center Apartments

Here we have the same issue. This is one of the busiest commercial areas in a fast developing suburb. A highly visited mall, top end restaurants, and a comedy club pulling visitors from all around the region. A great oppertunity to house hundreds and inspire just as many.

There's so much disappointment going on here. The random coloring, the confusing geometrical shape, topped off with a parking lot twice as big as the property itself. An absolute nightmare.

Sure, 5 over 1's pleases capitalism. But the true price is paid in the lack of visual value.

5 over 1's completely disregard the whole principle of architecture. Architecture shapes our environment. Studies have shown architecture directly impacts our health, productivity, and emotional well-being.

Here's an article more on that: https://hmcarchitects.com/blog/2019/10/18/how-does-architecture-impact-society-a-high-level-look-2019-10-18/

My point is this: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

We need to be intentional with what we build and how we're effecting our livable environment. Think about the effect these 5 over 1's are going to have in decades from now.

I hate to be so pessimistic on a subject, but I have no choice. The majority of these projects result in dispointment. At the end of the day, we live in an ROI focused society. Unfortunatly for the humans, you can't quantify good architecture in a spreadsheet. Expect more 5 over 1's to come.