Reconstruction in its many forms—tenant improvements, retail fitouts, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, gut rehab, and so on—is keeping many design and construction firms solvent.
The collapse of the U.S. housing market in 2007-2008 precipitated a nearly commensurate downturn in new nonresidential construction in the United States. Filling the gap, at least to some extent, has been reconstruction.
Architecture, engineering, and construction firms that once realized less than 20% of their revenues from renovation work are now performing 30-40% of their work in reconstruction. Another telling metric: LEED for Existing Buildings has now surpassed LEED for New Construction in total floor space. It is no exaggeration to say that reconstruction is keeping many AEC firms afloat.
This chain of events has created an excellent opportunity for the design and construction industry to seek ways to take reconstruction to the next highest level: from 20-30% energy and water savings, for example, to 40-60%—what those in the field are calling “deep energy retrofits.”
This White Paper details the obstacles to achieving high-performance reconstructed buildings and describes the promising opportunities available to AEC firms in this sector of the green building market.
The editors argue the case that existing and reused buildings represent “the 99% solution” for reducing energy, water, and materials waste in buildings and cutting the share of greenhouse gases produced by nonresidential buildings.
As in our eight previous White Papers, we conclude with a set of specific recommendations—an 18-point Action Plan—for stakeholders in the built environment to consider.
The editors welcome your feedback. Please contact Robert Cassidy, Editorial Director, at 847-391-1040; rcassidy@sgcmail.com.
Click here to download a PDF of High-Performance Reconstructed Buildings: The 99% Solution, the 9th in a Series of White Papers on the Green Building Movement
Chapter 1 Reconstruction: ‘The 99% Solution’ for Energy Savings in Buildings
Chapter 2 Exemplary High-Performance Reconstruction Projects
Chapter 3 How Building Technologies Contribute to Reconstruction Advances
Chapter 4 Business Case for High-Performance Reconstructed Buildings
Chapter 5 LEED-EB and Green Globes CIEB: Rating Sustainable Reconstruction
Chapter 6 Energy Codes + Reconstructed Buildings: 2012 and Beyond
Chapter 7 When Modern Becomes Historic: Preserving the Modernist Building Envelope
Chapter 8 High-Performance Reconstruction and Historic Preservation: Conflict and Opportunity
Chapter 9 The Key to Commissioning That Works? It Never Stops
Chapter 10 Action Plan: 18 Recommendations for Advancing Sustainability in Reconstructed Buildings
DIRECTORY OF SPONSORS
Associations
Construction Specifications Institute
North American Insulation Manufacturers Association
The Vinyl Institute
Government
U.S. General Services Administration Public Buildings Service
Manufacturers
Duro-Last Roofing, Inc.
SAGE Electrochromics, Inc.
Sika Sarnafil
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 5, 2023
Pittsburgh offers funds for office-to-residential conversions
The City of Pittsburgh’s redevelopment agency is accepting applications for funding from developers on projects to convert office buildings into affordable housing. The city’s goals are to improve downtown vitality, make better use of underutilized and vacant commercial office space, and alleviate a housing shortage.
Student Housing | Mar 5, 2023
Calif. governor Gavin Newsom seeks to reform environmental law used to block student housing
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to reform a landmark state environmental law that he says was weaponized by wealthy homeowners to block badly needed housing for students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Green Renovation | Mar 5, 2023
Dept. of Energy offers $22 million for energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades
The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America. Prize recipients will be selected based on their ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.
Windows and Doors | Mar 5, 2023
2022 North American Fenestration Standard released
The 2022 edition of AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, “North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights” (NAFS) has been published. The updated 2022 standard replaces the 2017 edition, part of a continued evolution of the standard to improve harmonization across North America, according to a news release.
AEC Innovators | Mar 3, 2023
Meet BD+C's 2023 AEC Innovators
More than ever, AEC firms and their suppliers are wedding innovation with corporate responsibility. How they are addressing climate change usually gets the headlines. But as the following articles in our AEC Innovators package chronicle, companies are attempting to make an impact as well on the integrity of their supply chains, the reduction of construction waste, and answering calls for more affordable housing and homeless shelters. As often as not, these companies are partnering with municipalities and nonprofit interest groups to help guide their production.
Modular Building | Mar 3, 2023
Pallet Shelter is fighting homelessness, one person and modular pod at a time
Everett, Wash.-based Pallet Inc. helped the City of Burlington, Vt., turn a municipal parking lot into an emergency shelter community, complete with 30 modular “sleeping cabins” for the homeless.
Codes | Mar 2, 2023
Biden Administration’s proposed building materials rules increase domestic requirements
The Biden Administration’s proposal on building materials rules used on federal construction and federally funded state and local buildings would significantly boost the made-in-America mandate. In the past, products could qualify as domestically made if at least 55% of the value of their components were from the U.S.
Industry Research | Mar 2, 2023
Watch: Findings from Gensler's latest workplace survey of 2,000 office workers
Gensler's Janet Pogue McLaurin discusses the findings in the firm's 2022 Workplace Survey, based on responses from more than 2,000 workers in 10 industry sectors.
AEC Innovators | Mar 2, 2023
Turner Construction extends its ESG commitment to thwarting forced labor in its supply chain
Turner Construction joins a growing AEC industry movement, inspired by the Design for Freedom initiative, to eliminate forced labor and child labor from the production and distribution of building products.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 1, 2023
Multifamily construction startup Cassette takes a different approach to modular building
Prefabricated modular design and construction have made notable inroads into such sectors as industrial, residential, hospitality and, more recently, office and healthcare. But Dafna Kaplan thinks that what’s held back the modular building industry from even greater market penetration has been suppliers’ insistence that they do everything: design, manufacture, logistics, land prep, assembly, even onsite construction. Kaplan is CEO and Founder of Cassette, a Los Angeles-based modular building startup.
