| Reuse, reinvest, and retrofit... or demolish? | | | | existing structure can be far less expensive than |
| 1. It's Good for the Community | | | | demolishing and building a completely new structure. |
| Preservation of older structures adds to a sense of | | | | 4. It's Good for the Environment |
| identity, educating the community about its history and | | | | Most professionals in the construction industry are |
| helping it citizens to amplify their collective historical | | | | aware of and agree with the current trends in the use |
| heritage and culture. In the case of architecture, | | | | of green materials and practices in new construction. |
| context often matters. Keeping buildings on their original | | | | But, the green movement has largely disregarded the |
| sites can contribute to an understanding of how and | | | | inherent advantages of building reuse, including the |
| why the community and its character developed. | | | | primary one-embodied energy. At the core of |
| 2. It's Good for the Economy | | | | sustainability practices should be the question: does the |
| We can look to the reuse of the High Line Rail in NYC | | | | structure that currently exists on the property where I |
| as a model for what preservation, the use of | | | | plan to build still have value and will it continue to |
| embodied energy, and reuse of the abandoned | | | | sustain its value? It doesn't matter how much energy |
| elevated train artery can do for a local economy. The | | | | you save if you're carting the structure off to a landfill |
| West Chelsea neighborhood restaurants, shops, | | | | in 1-2 generations. Rehabilitating old and inefficient |
| galleries, and other businesses in this largely forgotten | | | | buildings can save energy through embodied energy |
| area of NYC have profited immensely from recent | | | | and reduce energy consumption. And with a few |
| increased usage, traffic, and tourism to the area after | | | | sustainability practices, also improve the health and well |
| High Line was reopened as a walkway and native | | | | being of its occupants. New construction - even when |
| plant preserve. Substantially different buildings in bulk, | | | | done in an environmentally friendly way - still requires |
| form, scale and arrangement are emerging, while still | | | | the use of irreplaceable natural resources. And the |
| preserving key visual features through restoration and | | | | consumption of those resources has real, measurable |
| reuse of abandoned existing buildings in the | | | | impacts. For example, a recent study by the UK's |
| neighborhood. This contributes to employment density | | | | Empty Homes Agency found that it takes 35-50 |
| and a new pool of patrons for the businesses. | | | | years for a new energy-efficient single-family home to |
| "Dollar for dollar, rehabilitation creates more jobs than | | | | recover the carbon expended during its construction. |
| new construction. One study in the US, for example, | | | | 5. It Preserves Techniques and Heirlooms That Can |
| found that $1 million invested in the rehabilitation of an | | | | No Longer Be Duplicated |
| existing building creates 9-13 more jobs than the same | | | | There are valuable lessons in preservation that can |
| $1 million invested in new construction. Why? Because | | | | inform current building decisions and that we cannot |
| rehabilitation is more labor-intensive than new | | | | learn in any other way. Lasers, computers, and high |
| construction - that is, it requires more man-hours and | | | | tech equipment can't replicate early construction |
| fewer materials. An economy that is more | | | | techniques, many of which have been lost or are |
| labor-intensive and less materials-intensive is a greener | | | | underappreciated. These early techniques yield a |
| economy," says Richard Moe of the National Trust for | | | | product highly different in character, texture, and |
| Historic Preservation. | | | | appearance than new ones. Many families learn about |
| 3. It Makes Good Economic Sense | | | | the character and culture of their ancestors through |
| In many cases, remodeling or rehabilitation of an | | | | the observation of their early built environment. |