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
| Oct 23, 2013
Manhattan's landmark Marble Collegiate Church modernized
Helpern Architects, Structure Tone led the Building Team in a multi-phase project.
| Oct 22, 2013
Slow-growth economy continues to boost renovations over new construction
Major renovation projects—those costing more than $100,000—climbed as a share of total nonresidential construction as the recession began and haven’t yet come down, breaking from historic patterns.
| Oct 15, 2013
Historic LA YMCA-turned apartment building wins World Architecture Festival award
A major renovation of an historic YMCA in Los Angeles to an apartment facility was named the 2013 World Architecture Festival Housing Award recipient.
| Oct 7, 2013
Nation's first glass curtain wall exterior restored in San Francisco
The Hallidie Building's glass-and-steel skin is generally recognized as the forerunner of today’s curtain wall facilities.
| Oct 7, 2013
Lenders want better data to fund more green building retrofits
The CEO of Pittsburgh’s Green Building Alliance says lenders want better data to justify loans for green building retrofits.
| Oct 1, 2013
Renovation of historic Winchester, Va., buildings uncovers Civil War cannonball, bullets
The renovation of a set of historic downtown Winchester, Va., buildings led to the discovery of several historic artifacts including a Civil War cannonball and bullets, a variety of old baseball cards, and a 1940s-era newspaper embedded in the drywall.
| Sep 24, 2013
Hersheypark Arena ceiling renovation brightens interior, improves acoustics
Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pa., unveiled a new look following a $500,000 ceiling renovation.
| Sep 17, 2013
Complex stained glass restoration under way on Wisconsin Capitol Building
Work is under way at the Wisconsin State Capitol on an extensive $2.7 million, 14-month renovation to the skylights above the House and Senate chambers, along with the barrel vault skyline above the grand staircase and the panels in the rotunda dome.
| Sep 10, 2013
Melbourne, Australia’s ambitious retrofit program earns climate leadership award
The 1200 Buildings program in Melbourne, Australia was designed to encourage the retrofitting of 1,200 commercial buildings, or about 70% of the city’s commercial buildings stock.
| Sep 4, 2013
Twenty-nine-acre brick building complex in Watertown, Mass., to be renovated as innovation hub
The owner of a 29-acre cluster of brick buildings in Watertown, Mass., wants to reinvent the site as a 21st-century innovation hub.