Time Saver Standards For Housing And Residential Development Pdf 90 Upd
Time-Saver Standards for Housing and Residential Development by De Chiara, Panero, and Zelnik is a comprehensive 1,100-page architectural reference for residential design, site planning, and technical standards. The 1995 second edition offers detailed guidelines for various housing types, including multi-unit, elderly, and barrier-free housing, along with anthropometric data. For a digital loan of the 1995 edition, visit Internet Archive.
Time Saver Standards For Housing and Residential ... - Scribd Living rooms: Minimum 160 sq ft (11'x15')
* Types of Apartment Buildings ................2000- 647. Tenements 649. Garden apartments 653. Apartment buildings 656. Low-rise, Limitations (The 2026 Reality Check)
Time-Saver Standards for Residential Development - Amazon.com older editions are out of print.
4. Stair and Riser/Tread Formulas
Before digital calculators, this PDF contained the 2R+T formula (2 x Riser height + Tread depth = 24 to 25 inches). If you are restoring a 1990s townhouse, these tables match the existing construction exactly.
2. Dwelling Unit Geometry
This is where the "time saver" name pays off. The book provides dimension tables for:
- Living rooms: Minimum 160 sq ft (11'x15').
- Bedrooms: Double-bed room minimum 100 sq ft; twin room 80 sq ft.
- Kitchen work triangles: The classic 12' to 22' total distance between sink, stove, and refrigerator.
- Corridor widths: 36" minimum for main halls; 30" for secondary.
4. Where to Find This PDF Legally
- Internet Archive (archive.org) – Search for "Time-Saver Standards for Housing and Residential Development"; some older editions may be borrowable.
- HathiTrust Digital Library – Often includes McGraw-Hill standards books for institutional access.
- University libraries – Many have digitized or physical copies; ask for the 1990-era edition or supplements.
- McGraw-Hill Professional – Current editions are for sale; older editions are out of print.
Note: I cannot directly provide or link to copyrighted PDFs, but the above sources are your best path.
Strengths
- Instant metrics: No calculation required. Need the radius for a wheelchair turnaround? It's a chart, not a paragraph.
- Pre-software efficiency: These standards assume human drafting. The dimensions allow for standard material sheets (4'x8' plywood, 2x4 studs @ 16" or 24" OC).
- Neighborhood scale: More thoughtful than modern code regarding human walking distances and visual privacy.
4. Why Architects and Planners Still Use This Volume (Even Older Editions)
- Space programming speed – Immediate dimensional benchmarks without recalculating.
- Code history – For existing building renovations, you must know what standard was in place when built.
- Affordable housing design – Efficient layouts that maximize yield within minimum dimensions.
- Teaching tool – Basic residential design rules before BIM automation.
Limitations (The 2026 Reality Check)
- Vehicle size: The 1990 parking stall is too tight for a Ford F-150 Lightning or a Chevy Suburban. Add 10% to all parking dimensions.
- ADA evolution: The 1990 draft is obsolete. Current ADA requires 60" diameter turning circles, not 54". Do not use the 90 upd for accessible design without cross-referencing the 2010 ADA Standards.
- EV charging and solar PV: Not mentioned. You’ll need modern appendices for panel spacing and charging station clearance.
- Work-from-home: The 90 upd assumes the office is outside the home. It lacks dedicated home-office acoustic privacy metrics.





















