Facility managers are challenged by the social, environmental, historical and financial demands of modern facilities development. Each competing interest group has its own stake in the development process. Local governments, as well as the federal government, have regulations and incentives in place to promote development and by extension job creation in disadvantaged areas of their city or county — hence the proliferation of Enterprise Zones, Empowerment Zones and HUB zones. Preservationists have been successful throughout the years in engaging governments in creating historic districts. State and federal programs for historic tax credits have been made available to encourage responsive redevelopment. The recent popularization of sustainable buildings promoted through the LEED certification program has led to an increase in corporate awareness and, in some cases, a corporate commitment to sustainability. And finally, what every facility manager is judged by sooner or later: Was the project on budget? Was it done cost effectively? Was it ready on time?

An effective strategy for many of these issues is the adaptive reuse of an existing building. The success of this approach is determined by several key factors:

Location: Is the building conveniently located near other company facilities or users? Is it accessible to employees? Is it a safe and controlled environment?

Size and configuration: Does the building lend itself to the proposed use? It may be the right gross area, but because of its physical configuration or the nature of its structure (i.e., column spacing) its usable area is significantly lower.

Infrastructure: Does the building have an adequate electrical service for the new use? Is it available to the site from nearby? Is the existing sanitary sewer system intact? What is the condition of the stormwater system (the state of Maryland requires that 20 percent of the stormwater runoff from a one-year storm be treated before leaving a redeveloped site)? Is there good site access?

Building Structure: Is the building's structure sound? Is there evidence of settlement in the foundation? If so, how old is the settlement? Is there water damage to the structure? Many older buildings are masonry and wood structures. They are highly susceptible to damage from leaking roofs. Is there any evidence of past fire damage?

Life Safety: What is the fire stair configuration in the building? Will it provide adequate egress from the building? Was the building sprinklered? What is the condition of the system? How old is it and will the heads function? Are they the right spacing for the use? Head spacing for a warehouse use is not the same as an office use. Most codes and code officials interpret a change in a building's use as a requirement to bring the building up to all current codes. This includes Maryland's new Rehabilitation Code.

Sustainability: Many techniques identified in the LEED certification program lend themselves to adaptive projects. Many older buildings have high ceiling spaces allowing effective day lighting strategies, some of the materials pulled out of the buildings can be recycled in place back into the building. The reuse of the building itself is a sustainable strategy.

Historic: Is the building in a historic district requiring it to be redeveloped in a manner consistent with the district? Is the local review board amenable to the proposed building's reuse? Are historic tax credits available?

Costs: Many of the issues raised impact directly on the cost decision, building condition, available systems, etc. Assuming a positive answer for most of the questions, it is the consensus that building renovation cost approximately the same as new construction with less money spent on building structure and more spent on building systems. The major cost implications by extension fall on the acquisition cost and the opportunity for subsidized funding through tax credits and other incentive programs.

Time: If a typical reuse project isn't a cheaper approach to building without the incentives, what is the reason for pursuing it? The answer is time, both in acquisition and construction. With fewer green field sites available for development in metropolitan areas existing buildings afford a reasonable alternative. With the existing structure already in place work can proceed quickly on multiple fronts and in most cases unaffected by weather.

The adaptive reuse process can be exasperating and expensive or satisfying and cost effective. It all hinges on your approach. There is no substitute for an intimate knowledge of the building and its site infrastructure. Taking the time to become familiar with the building's elements and its condition — and documenting it — goes a long way to eliminating the unknown factors that typically cause delays and cost overruns during the project.