In the summer of 2022, I signed on with The Alexander Company to do incredibly unique work: low-income apartments as urban infill to historic buildings. This introduced me to multiple different state building codes along with each housing authority and set of standards they held. Grants and point systems are common, like Wisconsin’s WHEDA. The limitations around what was counted as “historic” are fascinating, and researching what kind of alterations we can make as well as how much original material needs to remain is a critical part of each project, as well as matching older styles of windows, trim, and fixtures with modern equivalents.
Full site surveys are sometimes required, like soil drills to determine how far down a water pocket goes, or point cloud surveys for an accurate picture if we get conflicting documents. Site visits are plentiful: first to get basic dimensions if none are provided; then to inspect the building for abnormalities; then to recheck our site limitations against the modern requirements. The sites range anywhere from completely new and renovated already to powdering brick and 50-year old service ladders.
TAC also has a property management branch in-house, which allowed me to see that process from the other side instead of living it, along with the development branch that finds projects. Both contain a wealth of industry knowledge that I try to take in every day, but would take years to fully grasp each. Above all, this position has been an invaluable place to learn, and it lays closer than ever to the industry and type of work I want to pursue.
All projects shown are either existing or defunct to preserve integrity, nothing is in progress.
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