Interesting, and relevant, reading from the National Trust For Historic Preservation on balancing green design with the maintenance, or stewardship, of the built environment over the long term. In “Essential – and Often Forgotten – Elements of Green Buildings”, Patrice Frey, director of sustainability research for the National Trust, writes in PreservationNation:
“What isn’t included in LEED – or any other green building rating program that I’m aware of – are measures of longevity. I’m not talking about just the durability of the various components of buildings (which is also extremely important). I’m also concerned about the viability of the building long-term. Is it designed in a way that will be flexible for undetermined future needs? Or is it overly-designed to fit the current occupant’s needs?
And, as Stewart Brandt would ask in his book How Buildings Learn, is the building lovable? (Before you roll your eyes, bear with me.) Is it a building that will stand the test of time? Or is this a building that has been value-engineered to within an inch of its life, without even the slightest bit of architectural merit or interest? Is it a building the people in our field – preservation – will fight to save in 100 years? Or does it have more in common with a strip mall than the quality architecture of our past or present?
The endless destruction and rebuilding of our built environment is simply not sustainable. Longevity is key.”
And, as Stewart Brandt would ask in his book How Buildings Learn, is the building lovable? (Before you roll your eyes, bear with me.) Is it a building that will stand the test of time? Or is this a building that has been value-engineered to within an inch of its life, without even the slightest bit of architectural merit or interest? Is it a building the people in our field – preservation – will fight to save in 100 years? Or does it have more in common with a strip mall than the quality architecture of our past or present?
The endless destruction and rebuilding of our built environment is simply not sustainable. Longevity is key.”
Great stuff. Read the full blog post here.
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