Kestrel Labs
Kestrel running inside a BIM environment, highlighting building code issues on a model.

Check building code compliance as you design

Kestrel runs inside your BIM environment and flags code issues early — before your plans reach the building department.

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A modernist concrete tower with bold orange geometric shapes overlaid, evoking architectural intent meeting structured logic.

Tedious, fragmented code research shouldn't interrupt your workflow. Kestrel handles the detailed code checks so you can stay focused on the building, not the codebook.

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Partners:

ICC Code Connect API

Built on official code data through our collaboration with the International Code Council (ICC). Continuously updated.

[ Problem ]

Compliance issues surface too late

Checking compliance manually means issues stay hidden until they're disruptive, costly, and time-consuming to fix.

Manual

[01]

Architect reading a printed building code book — manually interpreting requirements against a project.

No way to check code directly against the model

You spend hours, days reading the code, to figure out what applies, and check it against the design by hand.

Disjointed

[02]

Designer interrupted mid-flow by a manual code check — design and compliance handled in disconnected tools.

Every compliance check pulls you out of the design

Every time you stop to check code, you lose the thread. So checks happen less often than they should.

Compounding

[03]

Stacked compliance issues growing in scale across project phases — small missed requirements compounding into rework.

Issues accumulate silently between manual checks

Missed requirements don't stay small, growing with every decision built on top.

Costly

[04]

Permit delays and rework costs surfacing late in the design process — illustration of expensive last-stage corrections.

By the time issues surface, they're expensive to fix

Hours or weeks of rework. Lost fees. Permit delays hitting developers with $12,000 in daily carrying costs.

[ What's Checkable ]

Kestrel checks every code issue your model can surface before the building department does.

[ Active code analysis · Phase 01 / Context assembly ]

Site map · 1:6000 34.04°N · 118.55°W Pre-design

Pacific Palisades

Los Angeles, CA

Coastal hillside · urban-wildland edge · Mid-rise multifamily / mixed-use

Project status
Context assembly active
Project type
Mixed-use multifamily
Building condition
New construction identified
Construction type
Type IIIA assumed
Fire protection
Sprinklered condition identified
Active overlays
17 conditions
Review authorities
6 jurisdictions
Applicable code set
IBC 2024 · CBC 2024 · LA Amendments
Compliance pathway
First-pass review · design phase
  1. Project Jurisdiction Identified
  2. Applicable Code Cycle Identified
  3. California Building Code Applies
  4. Los Angeles Building Code Amendments Applies
  5. Occupancy Classification Identified
  6. Construction Type Identified
  7. Allowable Height and Area Requires review
  8. Fire-Resistance Ratings Applies
  9. Means of Egress Applies
  10. Accessibility Applies
  11. California Fire Code Applies
  12. Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone Triggered
  13. Wildland Urban Interface Requirements Triggered
  14. Hillside Ordinance / Slope Conditions Triggered
  15. Seismic Design Requirements Applies
  16. Geotechnical Review Requires review
  17. FEMA Flood Map Review Cross-checking
  18. Stormwater / Low Impact Development Applies
  19. California Energy Code / Title 24 Applies
  20. CALGreen Applies
  21. Local Zoning Applies
  22. Community Plan / Specific Plan Triggered
  23. Coastal Development Permit Review Cross-checking
  24. Parking and Transportation Applies
  25. Construction Documents Noted
  26. Agency Review Path Noted

From one site location, Kestrel builds the full compliance context before review begins.

Topographic site map of Pacific Palisades, Sunset Mesa, Castellammare, and Inceville in the Santa Monica Mountains coastal interface, with the project parcel marked.
[ 01 ] Responsibility

Architects carry the compliance obligation from concept through submission. Reading, interpreting, and applying code requirements at every stage.

[ 02 ] Disconnection

That work happens outside the design itself, forcing you to step away from creative flow and revisit compliance in fragments.

[ 03 ] Clarity

Kestrel brings compliance into the design process, showing what passes and what doesn't, as you work, so you're not surprised at submission.

[ How It Works ]

Your model.

Your codes.

Connected.

Run compliance checks natively in your BIM model

One click in your BIM model. Kestrel applies the codes for your project type and jurisdiction, mapping results to the exact elements in your design. Every issue is tied to a cited code reference. You know exactly what to fix and why.

Kestrel running inside Revit on a building floor plan, with the Compliance Analysis sidebar on the right listing live building code violations against the BIM model.

  1. 01

    Kestrel works inside Revit: no new tools, no workflow changes

  2. 02

    Checks specific code requirements against your BIM model

  3. 03

    Shows what's wrong, where it occurs, and why

  4. 04

    Links every issue back to the code section it comes from

[ Kestrel // Revit live check ]

Basement 02 · IBC 2021 · Frame 01

Kestrel doesn't replace your judgment. It gives you something worth judging.

[ Two Products, One Workflow ]

Flag the Issue. Explain it in Context. Keep Designing:

Kestrel Compliance Analysis identifies code violations directly in your BIM model. Kestrel Compliance Chat explains them — grounded in the same project, the same code section.

Active Reference

IBC 2021 · Table 716.1(2)

Door Fire Rating vs Wall Rating

Kestrel Compliance Analysis

[01]

Kestrel running inside Revit on a basement floor plan, with the highlighted wall between the Main Electrical Room and the Generator Room showing the active 'Door Fire Rating vs Wall Rating' violation citing IBC 2021 Table 716.1(2).

See what Kestrel finds in your model.

Continuous compliance checks against your BIM model. Every violation tied to a specific element, with the cited code section behind it.

Schedule a Demo

Kestrel Compliance Chat

[02]

Kestrel Compliance Chat panel open over the Revit model, explaining the Door Fire Rating vs Wall Rating violation citing IBC 2021 Table 716.1(2).

Ask a code question. Get a cited answer.

Built into the same workflow. Project-specific code answers grounded in your model's occupancy and conditions, cited to source.

Explore Kestrel Compliance Chat →

[ Design Phases ]

Built across every phase of design

From the first program sketch through the last RFI, Kestrel works with how you already design — applying the right code lens at every stage.

Concept / Pre-Design

[01]

Before a wall is placed, Kestrel helps you understand the code parameters you're designing into — occupancy classifications, height and area limits, and jurisdictional constraints that will shape every decision downstream.

Schematic Design

[02]

Occupancy, egress, and life safety constraints — caught while the design is still easy to change.

Design Development

[03]

Accessibility, clearances, and fire safety — resolved before they're locked into your drawings.

Construction Documents

[04]

Full compliance review before the set goes out. Your first submission is your best submission.

Construction Administration

[05]

When field questions arise, you already know where you stand on code. No surprises. No unexpected Change in Services.

[ Compliance Infrastructure ]

Kestrel is the first structured compliance data layer for the built environment.

Architects use case illustration. Interior designers use case illustration. Owners and developers use case illustration. Code consultants use case illustration. AHJs use case illustration.

[ Use Cases ]

Every role. Every phase. One platform.

[01] Architects

Check compliance continuously in your BIM model, so issues surface during design: not at submission.

[02] Interior Designers

Catch accessibility, egress, and clearance issues early, before they turn into redesign.

[03] Owners / Developers

Permit delays can cost tens of thousands a day. Kestrel catches compliance issues during design, well before they become your problem at submission.

[04] Code Consultants [coming soon]

Run comprehensive checks across applicable codes in a fraction of the time of manual review.

[05] AHJs [coming soon]

Spend reviewer time on judgment calls, not checklist items. Submissions arrive pre-checked against your jurisdiction's requirements.