Challenges Managing Large Historic Building Renovations: Lessons Learned from Detroit, Michigan
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150, Issue 2
Abstract
Recently, the number of historic renovation and restoration projects in the US city of Detroit has been increasing to preserve the cultural heritage and to meet current needs. However, this type of project has distinct challenges from new construction projects. This paper reports the results of a qualitative study investigating challenges encountered during historic building renovations in Detroit. The objective is to fill a gap in the construction literature concerning practices for managing large domestic historic building renovation projects. Strong industry interest in the topic also motivated the completion of this study. The expert interview method was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted with six expert practitioners concerning their experiences. Data concerning common challenges, pitfalls, and other issues were gathered, analyzed, and grouped into seven categories (code compliance, historic status, organizational, design, construction, budget/schedule, and technology). The results corroborate many findings and general themes from the prior literature on historic building renovation while reporting several novel findings absent in the reviewed literature. In addition, this paper provides recommendations to avoid and mitigate such challenges. Primary recommendations include developing strong collaborative working protocols between the parties; selecting key team members based on successful past working relationships, not price or cost of service; and, if feasible, conducting hazardous material abatement and selective demolition activities prior to completion of the design to derisk the project. Additionally, 23 secondary recommendations focused on numerous tactical, management, and technical matters are provided. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in the quality and risk management research domain as well as the restoration and renovation construction domain. The practical contribution of this study is to allow industry practitioners to better understand this special type of construction project and strategize quality control and management plans by providing common challenges and recommendations.
Practical Applications
Challenges encountered during large historic renovations in Detroit were investigated to identify suggested practices for better management of this project type. In addition to verifying prior findings from historic renovations performed elsewhere, new information is presented concerning key knowledge and practice gaps, authority having jurisdiction interface issues, organizational/funding constraints, negligence and standard of care concerns, misaligned competing incentives surrounding hazardous material abatement, and detailed information about design and construction challenges for this project type in Detroit. Three primary recommendations and 23 secondary recommendations are provided for better management, including developing strong collaborative working protocols between the parties; selecting key team members based on successful past working relationships, not price or cost of service; and, if feasible, conducting hazardous material abatement and selective demolition activities prior to completion of the design to derisk the project. The findings will aid design and construction practitioners in making informed decisions about historic renovation projects, thereby improving project delivery and outcomes.
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Data Availability Statement
All data gathered during the study either appear in the submitted article or are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge Luke Augspurger, Paul Dannels, Ron Dawson, Jay Desai, Charlie Hornacek, Sebastian Maurer, and Brian Rebain for their contributions to the study.
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 150 • Issue 2 • February 2024
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© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jan 17, 2023
Accepted: Sep 26, 2023
Published online: Nov 22, 2023
Published in print: Feb 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Apr 22, 2024
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Cited by
- Hyun Jeong Koo, David Kelly, David Deman, Risk Assessment of the Challenges in the Adaptive Reuse of Historic Buildings, Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 10.1061/JCEMD4.COENG-14569, 150, 9, (2024).