flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Achieving deep energy retrofits in historic and modern-era buildings [AIA course]

Reconstruction & Renovation

Achieving deep energy retrofits in historic and modern-era buildings [AIA course]

Success in retrofit projects requires an entirely different mindset than in new construction.


By Randolph Croxton, Croxton Collaborative Architects | May 30, 2017

Wooster Hall, looking north as sunlight strikes the steps of the atrium, marking solar noon. Photo: © 2016 Tim Hursley 

The high-performance retrofit of an existing building is more difficult than building new because the structural system, orientation, and massing—the first tools in the architect’s kit—have already been used. 

Moreover, the deep affection often associated with existing structures that possess cultural and historic significance presents even more resistance to high-performance design—the fear that the process will require massive modification of “untouchable” community assets.

Yet this critical segment of the built environment represents a vast reservoir of sustainable potential and carries with it our society’s multi-generational heritage.

After reading this article, you should be able to:
+ Assess the sustainable potentials and limitations of an existing building of historic/cultural significance.
+ Prioritize the overall active and passive design strategies within the physical limitations and the historic/community values of a given setting.
+ Discuss a daylighting strategy that combines the use of direct and diffuse daylight and thermal loading attuned to functional need.
+ Anticipate the future life of the building in transition to sustainability and generate an “anticipatory” design to support the implementation of that vision.

 

TAKE THIS FREE AIA COURSE AT BDCUNIVERSITY.COM

Related Stories

| Jul 28, 2014

Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]

Stantec, HDR, and HOK top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.

| Jul 1, 2014

Winning design by 3XN converts modernist bathhouse to university library

Danish firm 3XN's design wins competition for a new educational facility for Mälardalen University in Sweden, which will house a library, communal spaces, and offices for 4,500 students and staff.

| Jun 11, 2014

Bill signing signals approval to revitalize New Orleans’ convention center corridor

A plan to revitalize New Orleans' Convention Center moves forward after Louisiana governor signs bill.

| May 30, 2014

Developer will convert Dallas' storied LTV Building into mixed-use residential tower

New Orleans-based HRI Properties recently completed the purchase of one of the most storied buildings in downtown Dallas. The developer will convert the LTV Building into a mixed-use complex, with 171 hotel rooms and 186 luxury apartments.

| May 21, 2014

Gehry unveils plan for renovation, expansion of Philadelphia Museum of Art [slideshow]

Gehry's final design reorganizes and expands the building, adding more than 169,000 sf of space, much of it below the iconic structure.

| May 6, 2014

'Ugliest building in New Jersey' finally getting facelift

After a decade of false starts and mishaps, the American Dream mall in the Meadowlands may finally get built.

| Apr 16, 2014

Upgrading windows: repair, refurbish, or retrofit [AIA course]

Building Teams must focus on a number of key decisions in order to arrive at the optimal solution: repair the windows in place, remove and refurbish them, or opt for full replacement.

| Apr 11, 2014

ULI report documents business case for building healthy projects

Sustainable and wellness-related design strategies embody a strong return on investment, according to a report by the Urban Land Institute.

| Mar 25, 2014

Sydney breaks ground on its version of the High Line elevated park [slideshow]

The 500-meter-long park will feature bike paths, study pods, and outdoor workspaces.

| Mar 24, 2014

Frank Lloyd Wright's S.C. Johnson Research Tower to open to the public—32 years after closing

The 14-story tower, one of only two Wright-designed high-rises to be built, has been off limits to the public since its construction in 1950.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Adaptive Reuse

Empty mall to be converted to UCLA Research Park

UCLA recently acquired a former mall that it will convert into the UCLA Research Park that will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, as well as programs across other disciplines. The 700,000-sf property, formerly the Westside Pavilion shopping mall, is two miles from the university’s main Westwood campus. Google, which previously leased part of the property, helped enable and support UCLA’s acquisition.


Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.


halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021