Sustainable design and historic preservation design have sometimes been at odds. But a group of experts says these two goals can work together to improve building sustainability.
In a recent debate at the National Building Museum, architect Maria Casarella, Brendan Owens of LEED, and Eleni Reed at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) explored the "historic preservation vs. sustainable building" battle and emphasized that it sets up a false choice.
There is still tension between these two goals. LEED doesn't yet incorporate historic building criteria, and developers sometimes need to juggle competing priorities. But in some cases historic buildings are actually outperforming new ones (as in energy use), which many developers haven't realized, and a few key building elements (like new windows or geothermal heating) could make old buildings even greener.
Read the full story: Aligning Historic Preservation and Sustainable Design
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello