02/23/2026
In San Antonio, a "simple" renovation is rarely simple.
Whether it’s a mid-century warehouse near the Pearl or a 1920s masonry structure downtown, these projects are a collision of 2026 Life Safety standards and rigid historical preservation rules.
At PDI, we don’t just see a building; we see a code puzzle. 🧩
🚩 You aren't just answering to the Development Services Department. You’re answering to the Office of Historic Preservation and the Historic and Design Review Commission. We coordinate with these agencies to ensure fire protection systems (like standpipes and alarms) do not compromise the "historic fabric" of your asset.
🔥 Modern International Fire Codes (IFC) were not built for 100-year-old heavy timber. We specialize in engineering workarounds that satisfy the Fire Marshal’s safety requirements without requiring impossible structural changes.
💧Legacy sites often lack the water pressure needed for modern high-flow systems. We perform site-specific fire flow tests and hydraulic modeling during feasibility, ideally before you break ground.
And that's just a few pieces of the puzzle, from design to completion, plenty of roadblocks can show up. The PDI Rule: Projects that start well, end well. By involving a fire protection engineer early, you eliminate the "code surprises" that wreck budgets and timelines.
With 14,000+ projects completed since 1985, we have the local experience to get your retrofit across the finish line.
Planning an adaptive reuse project? Let’s get the roadmap right.
