Commercial Architecture November 2017 - 12

FEATURE

historic buildings

After an eight-year closure, the Felipe de
Neve Branch Library in the Los Angeles
Lafayette Park neighborhood reopened
its doors following an historic restoration, seismic upgrade, and expansion.
The library is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Photo: courtesy
STIR Architects

into thinking that something which is not historical is historical,"

mance-based code compliance and achieve equivalent life-safety

Chen commented.

standards," Bell said.
On the other hand, "As far as accessibility is concerned, many of

CHALLENGES

these historic buildings are significantly deficient in accommodating

Making historic properties energy efficient, sustainable, accessible,

mobility impairments. These can be especially challenging to respect

and compliant with current building codes can be challenging, but

the historic setting and retain the main entry, because the main level

"there are numerous strategies, techniques, technologies, and ap-

is often multiple steps above grade and there is no elevator," Bell said.

proaches that skilled design, engineering, construction, or governing

"Definitely, I think access is a challenge to a lot of these build-

agencies can approve, accept, and implement to improve and some-

ings," agreed Philip Chen. "Some of the more historic buildings were

times meet or exceed codes," observed James C. Auld of STIR.

built at a time when they were trying to exude monumentality, au-

"In the event that the explicit code can't be met in the most literal

thority, and power. That may have meant having to walk up several

sense, the Department of the Interior Standards gives local building

flights of steps to get to the main entrance, that they were very

officials some leeway on issues that aren't related to life/safety. Since

opaque, or they might have had walls encircling them. I think a lot of

improvements can be made in many areas-accessibility, energy effi-

our clients are looking to make these buildings more accessible, not

ciency, water use, and user responsiveness-a building owner's liabili-

only physically accessible, but also just more transparent. They are

ty is greatly reduced. It continues to be more affordable to make such

trying to welcome people, rather than keep them out, so that's some-

improvements as new products come online and are embraced by the

thing that is a challenge, but I think it's one of the interesting things

design and construction community," he said.

about adapting these old buildings, making them available to new

Mid-to-late 20th Century buildings may have more challenges

12

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

publics, diverse publics," he said.

than some older buildings, according to David Bell. "Historic build-

"Older buildings were not built for the types of systems that we

ings, especially those built before the advent of air conditioning, are

have today, for duct work and power and lighting," Chen noted. "Be-

fairly well suited to sustainability because they were originally de-

ing able to integrate all of that into historic buildings and making

signed for passive strategies and basic physics. They may have ther-

them energy efficient and sustainable is a challenge, but it's worth

mal-mass walls, passive ventilation, orientation to solar and wind,

doing," he said.

and other climate-responsiveness. While not complying with pre-

"One of the things that we found as we were doing energy model-

scriptive building codes, many older buildings can meet perfor-

ing for a project at the University of Chicago is that the single most

NOVEMBER 2017

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Architecture November 2017
