(CS2.5) Historic Preservation and Building Codes: A Historical Review of Cooperation and Challenges to Inform Future Regulatory Action

A common refrain within historic preservation practice positions building codes and regulations as an obstacle, incompatible with fundamental preservation objectives. At the very least, there has developed a widespread recognition that building codes are crafted around new construction, whereas projects involving existing buildings pose vastly different contexts and considerations. While building codes continue to be ubiquitous in their relevance to the architecture and construction industry, many offer exemptions for designated buildings or do not account for historic buildings. This status quo makes the historic environment more vulnerable, both in terms of safety especially against natural hazards and potential changes to the regulatory landscape that eliminates long-standing exemptions and forces historic buildings to suddenly “catch up” after years of noncompliance with contemporary building codes. It is thus essential to reconsider how future regulations on the built environment handles the historic built environment.

In order to consider ways forward, this presentation will provide a historical overview of how preservationists have engaged with the development of building codes. Focusing primarily on North American examples, this research will establish the major themes and trends in how the preservation sector has engaged with building regulations over time. This retrospective analysis reveals that there have been notable efforts for preservation organizations and professionals to participate in making building codes more compatible with historic preservation practice since the 1970s. However, the original rationale behind exempting historic buildings from code provisions has not been considerably revisited and reconsidered. Given today’s context of the climate crisis, increasing exposure and magnitude of natural hazards, and widening awareness of the immense role that the built environment plays in energy consumption, it is critical to reexamine the historical roots of how building codes discuss and regulate the historic built environment.