Visualizing Compliance: Bridging Building Codes, Regulations, and Historic Preservation Guidelines for Adaptive Reuse as Housing

The architecture industry’s existing and historic building project sector is growing, and there are few resources to clarify the many codes and regulations that apply to it. Adaptive reuse can benefit the United States by converting existing structures into residential buildings to alleviate the current housing shortage in addition to other benefits that include historic preservation, maintaining a city's character, and environmental sustainability. Existing steel and concrete buildings are potential candidates for additional housing in cities like Houston, where the economic viability of demolition is preferred over adaptive reuse, however, code compliance can be costly. Strategic incorporation of existing building codes can provide exceptions to reduce the cost of code compliance, but coordinating which codes can achieve compliance can be a difficult task for experienced architects. Many resources for new ground-up architecture projects simplify the technical language of building codes and teach the basics of building codes, architectural elements, and construction, but few resources exist to aid in navigating adaptive reuse compliance. There are many regulations for existing building projects, including the International Existing Building Code (IEBC), The International Building Code (IBC), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and for historic buildings, The Secretary of the Interior’s Treatment for Historic Properties, and historic preservation design guidelines, at a minimum. The lack of a comprehensive resource that compiles these regulations hinders the industry's ability to plan and execute existing and historic adaptive reuse projects efficiently and effectively. This thesis uses a rehabilitated adaptive reuse project, The Rice Hotel in Houston, to illustrate how a guide would be a helpful resource and encourage adaptive reuse residential projects.