Kestrel Labs, a US-based developer of building-code compliance technology, has launched an AI-powered platform that lets architects check project requirements directly in Autodesk Revit.
Unveiled at the American Institute of Architects Conference on Architecture and Design 2026 in San Diego, the Kestrel Platform integrates jurisdiction-specific building code requirements into the BIM workflow. It flags compliance issues as a project develops, before drawings reach plan review.
The launch follows a $2.15m pre-seed funding round, backed by New Stack Ventures, FirstMile Ventures, Denver Ventures and Avesta Fund. Kestrel has also secured a data agreement with the International Code Council (ICC), whose model building codes are adopted across the US and in more than 100 countries.
Compliance checks run against the Revit model
Kestrel Compliance Analysis performs building code checks within Revit. The company says a full check takes about 30 seconds, with results linked to the relevant model elements and code sections.
Kestrel had outlined the technology behind the process ahead of the launch. In May, the company said it was using AI to translate building code into structured logic that could be evaluated against the model. This allows requirements to be checked against BIM data, rather than keeping code information separate from the design environment.
Kestrel Compliance Chat addresses project-specific building code questions in plain language and cites the relevant code sections in its responses. It is available within Revit and via a web browser.
The third component, Kestrel Portal, provides project managers and firm leaders with access to a web-based compliance dashboard without requiring the BIM file.
ICC agreement underpins code data
Kestrel’s compliance checks draw on its data agreement with the International Code Council. The code requirements applied on the platform vary by project and jurisdiction.
Marian Pulford and Austin Pulford, AIA, NCARB, founded the company. Austin Pulford brought 20 years of licensed architectural practice to developing the platform, while Marian Pulford serves as chief executive.
The founders have linked Kestrel’s development to another issue facing architectural practices: transferring building-code knowledge between experienced and junior architects. Senior staff may carry decades of code knowledge, while junior architects may have limited time to learn directly from them.
Micah Gray, AIA, director of technology and innovation at KAI Enterprises, said that embedding code information in the model could make that knowledge available across project teams, rather than leaving it dependent on which staff members are involved.
Kestrel opts for firm-wide licensing
Kestrel is offering annual firm-wide licences rather than charging per user. There are no stated limits on users, projects or compliance checks, and pricing varies by firm size, project complexity and jurisdictional scope.
Charter customers are being offered preferred pricing and the opportunity to provide input into the company’s jurisdiction roadmap.
Kestrel lists the Autodesk Design & Make Marketplace and the Trimble Connect Marketplace as channels for finding the platform. A SketchUp integration is also planned.
Compliance Analysis can be rerun as a Revit model changes, with each result linked to the model element involved and cited to the relevant code section.
