Architect Juan Miró's Five-Year Campaign to Ban Windowless Bedrooms Wins IBC Approval
Architect Juan Miró from the University of Texas at Austin has successfully closed a loophole in the International Building Code (IBC) that previously permitted windowless bedrooms, following a five-year effort. His proposal, known as G-143, was approved in July and will require natural light in bedrooms and living areas of residential buildings starting with the 2027 IBC edition. Miró was inspired by a 2022 op-ed regarding college students in Austin facing such living conditions. In 2024, the city of Austin prohibited windowless bedrooms, leading Miró to submit G-143 to the International Code Council. After some revisions, the proposal passed with a vote of 73-52 and received 211 votes in favor online. A similar proposal for school classrooms was also approved.
Key facts
- Juan Miró, an architecture professor at the University of Texas at Austin, led a five-year campaign to ban windowless bedrooms in the International Building Code (IBC).
- The loophole in Section 1204.1 of the IBC allowed windowless rooms if they had artificial light.
- Miró's proposal, G-143, was ratified in July after three public hearings and an online vote.
- The 2027 IBC will require natural light in bedrooms and living rooms in residential buildings.
- Austin banned windowless bedrooms in 2024 after reports of developers targeting low-income students.
- Opposition came from the National Multifamily Housing Council, the National Association of Home Builders, and building officials from Seattle and Portland.
- The proposal was initially voted down 13-0 in April 2025, but a revised version passed 6-5 in the second hearing.
- The final online vote was 211 in favor and 83 against.
- A related proposal requiring windows in at least half of school classrooms was also ratified.
- Miró predicts industry groups will try to weaken the requirement in the 2030 code cycle.
Entities
Artists
- Juan Miró
Institutions
- University of Texas at Austin
- International Code Council
- AIA (American Institute of Architects)
- National Multifamily Housing Council
- National Association of Home Builders
- AIA California
- Architect's Newspaper (AN)
Locations
- Austin
- United States
- Orlando
- Seattle
- Portland
- Chicago
- Washington, D.C.
- California
- U.C. Santa Barbara
- New York City