Before sustainability had a name, traditional builders incorporated sustainable elements into buildings. Working in sync with the environment was the norm, utilizing local materials, natural ventilation, shading, cleaner energy (e.g. mills), reflective roofing, cisterns, indigenous plantings ... the list becomes long and in many ways mirrors “new” standards espoused today. In addition, older buildings perform well. How on earth did we lose this lesson? Early builders used common sense and science, observation and practice.
People often think that historic buildings are not energy efficient. The opposite, though, is more likely to be true: that many historic buildings are inherently very energy efficient. Operable windows substantially reduce demand for heating and cooling during temperate months. Opening the top sash of a double-hung window will allow warm air from the top of the room to escape. Opening the bottom sash on the shaded side of a room will pull in cool air while displacing warm air. Preserving high ceilings allows air to circulate, especially when ceiling fans are used, and allows natural light to enter deep into the building.
Many early buildings took advantage of a combination of natural light and task lighting because they didn’t have the benefit of electricity. In addition, historic masonry buildings are exceptionally durable and benefit from significant thermal mass, which helps regulate the temperature by storing heat and cold within the mass of the wall.
Also keep in mind that demolition is costly. Why replicate the design and construction process when you don’t need to? Why tear down a standing building (an energy-demanding activity itself) and be forced to cart away materials to a landfill or a dump? Why have to clean up a deconstructed site, level it and begin from scratch?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has as its main objective to preserve land, and it has as one of its sub-objectives to reduce waste-generation and increase recycling. However, it has been slow to recognize that preservation does exactly that. When you preserve a historic building, you are reducing waste generation. When you reuse a historic building, you are recycling.
If, unlike the Congress or the President, we offer no silver bullet for the recession, we can all search for silver linings. While architects and builders love a new construction site, strategically, preservation is sounding better and better. In a down economy, it makes good sense to make the most of what you already have.
May is preservation month and hopefully this short essay demonstrates that preservation is environmentally correct and one of the most “green” strategies available.
Hasco Craver is the executive director of the Commerce Downtown Development Authority. He lives in Commerce.
