Adaptive Re-Use: Technical Challenges and Risk Mitigation

This presentation was initially provided at the 2021 Virtual Spring Symposium

The need for office space declines as existing offices have become more efficiently designed and telecommuting becomes more common. The recent COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the challenges facing offices and created unexpected opportunities. At the same time, the demand for high-density housing within urban centers continues to increase. These factors have created opportunities to utilize adaptive reuse as a strategy to convert underutilized office and industrial buildings into residential housing. Adaptive reuse projects can result in distinctive and attractive housing options while at the same time posing a myriad of unique building design and construction challenges. This presentation will focus on design solutions intended to address the unique building enclosure challenges posed by these projects. Presenters will draw from their professional experience designing and investigating both within and outside of litigation the challenges associated with adaptive reuse in order to offer risk mitigation techniques. Presenters will also show how various computer modeling programs and testing protocols can be used to analyze the existing building and assist in the building conversion design. This presentation is intended for building owners, designers, enclosure consultants, and contractors to identify problems and solutions. The presentation will contain one design case study and one litigation case study.

Erica Reynolds, PE

McGinnis Chen Associates, Inc. | Long Beach, CA

Erica Reynolds is a registered professional engineer in the state of California and an associate at McGinnis Chen Associates. She heads MCA’s Southern California office, based out of Long Beach. Reynolds joined the firm in 2013 and has managed numerous design projects and performed investigation and evaluation on many building assembly systems, including roofing, plaza decks, exterior wall assemblies, and skylights. Reynolds earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a master’s degree in structural engineering from the University of Southern California.

Tracy Myers, RRO, AIA, LEED AP

Myers Consulting | Huntington Beach, CA

Tracy Myers is the president and founder of Myers Consulting. Her Southern California-based practice focuses on issues related to building enclosure performance, forensic architecture, and expert witness services. Myers has over 29 years of experience in traditional and forensic architecture, building enclosure investigation, peer review, quality assurance, building codes, and roofing design and investigation. She provides sworn testimony on behalf of both the defense and plaintiff on cases involving architectural standards of care, general construction, roofing, and waterproofing. She holds architectural licenses in several states, is a licensed California general contractor, an RRO, and is NCARB certified.