Balancing Preservation and Performance: Strategies for Historic Masonry Building Enclosures

Historic masonry buildings are a defining feature of many college and university campuses, but adapting them for modern use presents unique technical and preservation challenges. This presentation explores how to assess and address common and critical issues in historic masonry wall systems—such as moisture management, structural deficiencies, and material limitations—while balancing performance upgrades with preservation goals. Through case studies, we’ll highlight strategies for pre-design investigation, integrating control layers, and detailing transitions between historic and new construction. Attendees will gain practical tools to guide adaptive reuse and long-term stewardship of campus masonry buildings.

Full Abstract: Adapting historic masonry buildings on education campuses for modern use requires more than code compliance—it demands a deep understanding of how these buildings were constructed, how their materials age, and how their systems respond to environmental and operational demands over time. This presentation explores how various masonry wall systems behave, common distress mechanisms, and critical issues that can directly impact long-term building safety and performance.

A key step in any successful adaptive reuse or ongoing stewardship effort is a thorough pre-design assessment. This phase helps facility leaders and design teams understand the specific type and condition of existing masonry, diagnose the root causes of deterioration, and weigh the potential impacts of environmental exposure. Historic materials can be inherently flawed—not just aged—and recognizing this early helps frame realistic goals for repair, replacement, and integration with modern systems.

Through case studies, we’ll examine strategies for managing moisture and air control within historic masonry assemblies, improving energy performance without compromising heritage value, and detailing transitions where historic façades meet new construction or additions. Emphasis is placed on the need for design flexibility and the complex reality that best practices and repair strategies are not universal across all conditions.

Ultimately, this session provides tools to help facilities professionals lead successful projects that honor the character of their campuses while ensuring buildings can serve today’s students, staff, and programming needs. We’ll highlight how early investigation, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and strategic design decisions can unlock the full potential of historic masonry buildings, whether adaptively reused or traditionally maintained.

• Identify common distress mechanisms and structural challenges in historic masonry wall systems typical of campus buildings.
• Understand the importance of pre-design assessment to inform scope, strategy, and stakeholder expectations for adaptive reuse or restoration projects.
• Evaluate material limitations and compatibility when integrating modern systems with historic masonry construction.
• Apply practical moisture and air control strategies tailored to the unique conditions of existing masonry envelopes.
• Develop context-sensitive detailing approaches for transitions between historic façades and new construction or additions.