Architecture firms finding code issues before city review
Firms in our early-access design partner program run compliance checks during schematic design and design development, before drawing the permit set.
Early-access design partner program
These firms joined our beta and checked real projects during active design.
We found four egress width violations during design development that otherwise would have returned as permit corrections. Each would have required structural grid revisions. Finding them in Kestrel Labs while options remained open saved weeks on two projects.
Our team now includes IFC exports in its standard design review. The compliance check takes five minutes and provides a structured list of what to inspect. We replaced half a day of manual code cross-referencing with a focused list before client review.
How firms use Kestrel Labs
Firm size and project type determine when teams run compliance checks.
Faster early design review
Small firms with one or two principals run IFC checks at schematic design completion to confirm egress and accessibility requirements before design development. A typical residential project takes under ten minutes.
Benefit: fewer manual code lookups when principals are already stretched thin.
Fewer correction cycles
Commercial firms submitting 10-20 permits yearly use compliance checks to reduce project correction cycles. Checking the model before permit-set preparation catches violations that would otherwise appear in a correction letter.
Benefit: fewer cycles reduce rework on nearly complete documents.
Code cross-reference volume
Large firms on complex institutional projects, including healthcare, education, and mixed-use, cross-reference IBC, NFPA, ADA, and local amendments. Automated checks reduce time spent locating and verifying requirements for each occupancy zone.
Benefit: staff shift from code lookup to correction planning and design response.
All figures come from internal early-access beta data. Correction-cycle results were self-reported by partner firms comparing Kestrel Labs-assisted projects with recent prior work at the same firm.
Join architecture firms running compliance checks during design. Free tier includes one full project check with no credit card required.