Thomas K. Butt, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C
President

Tom Butt is the founding principal and president of Interactive Resources, Inc. and has more than 55 years of architectural and project management experience, most recently focused on building envelope design, failure diagnostics and repair as well as in historic preservation. Recent projects include remedial waterproofing of the BART Powell Street Station, façade repair of the Santa Ana Federal Building and replacement of the waterproofed plazas at Richmond’s Frank Hagel Federal Building.

Tom is also what the American Institute of Architects call a “citizen architect,” who uses “his insights, talents, training, and experience to contribute meaningfully, beyond self, to the improvement of the community and human condition … makes time for service to the community … seeks to advocate for the broader purposes of architecture through civic activism, writing and publishing, by gaining appointment to boards and commissions, and through elective office at all levels of government.”

The California Preservation Foundation named Tom “Legislator of the Year” for his work in local historic preservation policy and law, and East Bay Chapter of the AIA awarded Tom a Practice and Technology Achievement Award for his dedication to investigating and explicating issues of building technology. In 2023, Tom received a “Lifetime Achievement Award for Sustainability” from Sustainable Contra Costa.

Tom served two terms as the elected mayor of Richmond, CA, a waterfront city of 110,000, and served on multiple regional commissions. He currently serves on the boards of two Richmond-based non-profits, East Brother Light Station, Inc., which operates and maintains a historic lighthouse off Richmond’s shore in San Pablo Bay, and Rosie the Riveter Trust, the non-profit partner of Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park. In 2024, the National Trust for Historic Preservation awarded Tom the prestigious Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award. This esteemed award, the National Trust’s highest national honor, recognizes Tom’s decades of dedication to historic preservation and his transformative contributions to communities in Richmond and beyond.

Tom has been a prolific author of technical articles on architecture, and he chairs two ASTM task groups responsible for building envelope design and product standards.

Tom Has a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Arkansas, a Master’s Degree in Architecture and Urban Design from UCLA and served as an Army engineer officer in Vietnam.

Personal pen and ink sketches by Tom Butt: http://www.tombutt.com/Toms_Sketches/Toms_Sketches.html