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Comparing Adaptability - A Case Study of Three Historic Buildings

Maclise, L. / Nelson, T. / Kyler, M. / Kang, G. / Hohener, S. / Littler, P. / Nudel, A.

The Futures Without Violence headquarters building (Presidio Building #100), the Walt Disney Family Museum building (Presidio Building #104) and Presidio 101 and 103 (Presidio Buildings #101 and #103) are all former barracks buildings on the main parade grounds of the historic Presidio of San Francisco. They are constructed of unreinforced masonry brick walls with heavy timber framing and were built in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. All are fine examples of adaptive re-use and sustainable design practices. San Francisco's location, with its proximity to major earthquake faults, presents a heightened risk to these types of historical buildings. Therefore it is critical to seismically upgrade and preserve these historic structures for future generations. While seismic events are a regional issue, natural hazards occur throughout our national and global community and the importance of preserving historical structures as well as preparing resilient and sustainable communities is of global importance. All of the buildings in this case study have recently been retrofitted, renovated and repurposed to serve the community for many years to come. In this paper, the different approaches utilized in the adaptive re-use of these nearly identical buildings will be described. Retrofit and renovation is one of the most impactful things that can be done to achieve sustainable design goals. By extending a building's life-span, the embodied energy in the building is preserved and the need for new building materials and construction waste is decreased. This unique set of buildings creates a real-life study of how designers, building owners and contractors can re-purpose the same type of building in different ways. All of the buildings feature exposed structure and tasteful additions to maximize square footage while maintaining the character visible from the main parade ground elevations. This paper will discuss the sustainable impacts of retrofit and renovation, review several building retrofit strategies available to designers, and the various adaptive re-use strategies that designers can use.