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6 - Update Memo
January 9`h, 2007 TO: Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board FROM: James Hewat, Chris Meschuk SUBJECT: Update Memo Draft White Paper on Embodied Energy in Historic Buildi~gs See attached document. Green Points Update Memo to the Planning Board See attached document. Depot Update Verbal update at meeting. Casey School Design Advisory Team Verbal Update at meeting New and Pending Land Use Review Applications See attached Planning Board Calendar See attached Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board Stay of Demolition Status Summary, January 9th, 2007 Currently no stays of demolition pending. ARTICLES AND INFORMATION: Curtis, Wayne, "Amid our Green Building Boom, Why Neglecting the Old in Favor of the New Might Just Cost Dearly ; A Cautionary Tale", Preservation. January/February 2008. Duncan, Janine L., "Historic Preservation Ordinance Study Report", News From the National Alliance of Preservation Corrtmissions. November-December, 2007. Hughes, Keenan, "Reuse vs. Tear pown ", Planning. January, 2008 NAPC Fonim 2008, July 10-13, New Orleans, LA. Embodied Energy: An Overview As discussion of energy efficiency, energy conservation and `green building' rises, so does interest in embodied energy; Embodied energy refers to the total energy cost of a material; specifically, how energy- is exRended from the extraction of the raw material to the demolition or recycling of the building. The focus of this paper is look at how various groups define and quantify embodied energy and how that information is used. Embodied energy is not a new concept, but it has received recent attention with the increased interest in designing energy efficient buildings. According to the American Institute of Architects' Environmental Resource Guide, more than 30% of America's energy use gods to the construction and maintenance of buildings.' When assessing how efficient a building is, it is necessary to look beyond the annual operational cost~,(i.e. lighting, cooling, and heating), and consider factors such as the~ifespan of a`rnaterial and the energy required to manufacture and transportathos~;materials. While there a,~,e many ways to measure embodied energy, there is not a universally acce Rnethodology for quantifying embodied energy usage. The most widely used def~riition for embodied eriergy is "the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building, from the acquisition of natural resources .to product delivery. This includes the mining and manufacturing of matertls and:::equipment, the transport of the materials and the administrative functions."~: Though a~ie_ ofi`the definitions identify a embodied energy as being the - total energy requ'ci to manufacture a certain material, there is a large discrepancy in determining where the process begins and ends. For example, a strict method of quantification, called Gross Energy Requirement (GER)3, accounts for the energy required to nourish and transport workers to the site for material extraction (mining, logging, etc), the energy embedded in the urban ' Mumma, Tracy. Reducing the Embodied Energy of Buildings. Home Energy Magazine. 1995 ' Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Materials 3 Greenhouse.gov 1 infrastructure (roads, water lines, electricity), as well as such expenses as the lighting in the office where the architectural drawings are drafted. Accounting for `upstream energy' is usually impractical to measure and complicated by a lack of definitive boundaries. A more general approach, Process Energy Requirement (P_ ER)4 mEasures_ only the energy direcd+~ related- to the manufacture o~-the - materials, including but not limited to the energy required to extract the raw material (through logging, mining or quarrying), transportati of the material to a factory, refinement or manufacturing of the product, trarsportation to the site, assembly of the building, and the energy required to disassemble or demolish the building. ` x~ a As informal derivatives of the PER, th~`e~- are t~tree common rinethods in analyzing embodied energy; 1) Process Ana?ysis, 2) Input-Output Analysis, and 3) Hybrid Analysis. Each of the mentioned examples is merely an element of analysis; having little to do with _ or scope analysis, which will be discussed in detail in later section ~ , Process Analy, . -This ,,popular procedure ordinarily identifies a system boundary for direct 'n i~. t nergy. Tie boundary scope must be defined spatially as well as by eframe i~ry example, a spatial scope would be a parcel of land or a house no 1_ ~ ding the land; the timeframe's scope pertains to how far `upstream' the energ~low is going to be analyzed. The advantage ro s analysis is in the degree of accuracy possible for the .Y precisely defined~'`; stem to which it relates (i.e. energy used to process aluminum from a particular factory). Unfortunately the method is impractical in analyzing the energy inputs more than two stages `upstream' of the process being analyzed and indirect energy at every level is unaccounted. For this reason, the actual embodied energy in a particular project may be much higher than what the method suggests. ° Greenhouse.gov 2 M Input-Output Analysis -This method ultimately measures energy by tracing economic flows of goods and services between economic entities. Consumption is measured in a ratio of energy to monies. Energy measurements are derived from energy costs of various activities related to the prQi~ct under analysis. For example, gasoline can be quantified in a monetary amount or by the energy that can be produced by that amount of gasoline. One benefit of this particular method of analysis is the ability to compare the energy price of various materials using their specific monetary values. Hybrid Analysis -The final method is a hybrid of the two former methods. Input- output analysis is used to define the major energy pathways and process analysis is subsequently used to find the energy embedded in a particular material. This particular method provides the comprehensive data of the three options as the inadequacies of the other methods, when used alone, are compensated for. , ~.s_ The disadvanta~ ~ the hybrid analysis is its lack of credibility. Few people understand the methodologies involved which typically makes the process inaccurate.~i't'eliable. When credibility can be assumed, this method is gives the strongest results for embedded energy analysis. 5 Embodied Energy Resource Review The followirig~section summarizes the sources used for this paper. Some are government funded while others are private companies or groups. In general, the information is consistent, with the exception of how to quantify embodied energy. The numbers vary greatly, but the objective remains the same: it is important to take into account the energy required to assemble (and 5 Best, Rick and Gerard de Valence. Design and Construction: Building In Value. Elsevier. 3 disassemble) a building and use that reasoning when determining the energy efficiency of a building. A particularly comprehensive resource is the information provided by the Australian_Greenhouse-OiFfice (AGO), -self-described as-`a -joint initiative of the Australian Government and the design and construction industries', published as part of a guide for homeowners to build and live in sustainable homes. `Your Home Technical Manual' provides information on how t,r~'esign, preserve or buy a sustainable home by listing guidelines and ~ n`e'ra1 information about sustainability, energy use and costs of improvi r home to be more energy efficient. - ~t , AGO defines embodied energy as `the energy1$ med by all of the processes associated with the production of a building, fr he acquisition of natural resources to product delivery. This includes the mi' ~'~nd manufacturing of _.Y . materials and equipment, the transport of the materials and the administrative functions'6 (i.e. heating, cooling and fighting). Renovation and maintenance throughout the building's life' iS also includd in this calculation. Internati respecte RO, ~t~ commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organizatie ~'-des itself as `Australia's national science agency; delivering solutions fo gribu~iness, energy and transport, environment and natural resources, hlth, information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing and mial resources.' Embodied energy is also defined by CSIRO as `the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building, from the acquisition of natural resources to product delivery, including mining, manufacturing of materials and equipment, transport and administrative functions'. The importance of embodied energy is emphasized in that `energy embodied in existing building ~ http://www.greenhouse.gov.auJyourhome/technicaVfs3l.htm 4 stock in Australia is equivalent to ten years of the total energy consumption for the entire nation.'' The choice of materials impacts the total energy required to construct a building and while there are other means of quantifying energy use, embodied energy is particularly helpful in determining the CO2 emissions of a building. As buildings are- becoming more energy efficient in their operation,_ the embodied energy is approaching half the lifetime energy consumption.8 Research by CSIRO has found that the average household contains about 1,000 GJ (gigajoules) of energy embedded in the materials used in its construction. This is equivalent to about 15 years of operational energy use. For a house that lasts 100 years this is over 10 percent of the energy used in its life. AGO does not accept one specific means of qu~nti~~on, but summarizes that quantification is dependent on `boundaries' or -where the process begins and ends. The AGO recognizes that while it is effective, the Gross Energy Requirement (GER) assessment method is usually Irractical to measure. Conversely, the Process Energy Requirement (PER) measures only the energy that is directly related to the manufacture of the material, which usually accounts for 50-85% of the Gross Energy Requirement, and is though it is more feasible to measure, it is difficult to assign a specific value to a material because of other factors such as: efficiency of the individual manufacturing process, the fuels used in manufacture and transport of ;the materials and amount of recycled product. CSIRO asserts that the numbers can vary greatly, and should only be taken as a rough estimate. w t~V~;t.l..~; Timber frame, timber weatherboard, 188 plasterboard lining http://www.cmmt.csiro.au/brochures/tech/embodied/index.cfm a http:/lwww.cmmt.csiro.au/brochures/tech embodied/index.efm 5 Timber frame, clay brick u~n"~edr, 561 plasterboard lining Timber frame,. aluminum weatherboard,..: 403 plasterboard lining Steel frame, clay brick veneer, 604 piasferboard lining Double clay brick, plasterboard lined 906 Cement stabilized rammed earth 376 Fl..~~~ Elevated timber floor 293 110 mm cdncrete slab on ground 645. 200 mm precast concrete 644 T beamlinfill RC)C1F5 . Timber frame;. concrete tile, 251 plasterboard ceiling Timber frame, terracotta tile, 271 plasterboard ceiling: Timber frame, steel sheet;. 330 plasterboard ceiling sample of the embodied energy required in different wall assembly figures Saurce A an Gre Yse Office 2QQ7/l..awson 1996 Y A relationsflips drawn ~ een embodied energy and operational energy. For example, large`masonry~walls have high embodied energy but the associated operational costs would be reduced. On the other hand, much less material is required in steel frame construction than heavy timber frame construction, but wood has much less embodied energy than steel. It is important, then, to look at an entire building assembly when assessing the embodied energy. Benefits/Implications of Assembly and Material Assessment 6 The Australian Greenhouse Office offers the following suggestions as guidelines to reduce embodied energy: • Design for long life and adaptability, using durable low maintenance materials • Ensure materials can be easily separated, save materials by building suitably sized house and using recycled materials, specifying standard sizes, modify or refurbish instead of demolishing or acing • Use locally sourced materials rq • Select low embodied energy materials, give 2^ rence to materials manufactured using renewable energy sources and"~ sk suppliers for information on their products and share this information _ h-- The site stresses the importance s so of recycling and reusing building ~ 60--- ao - - ~ - _ - _ - _ _ materials~tating that "reuse of - ti 20 - - building materials commonly ° a;umin;~n, st~~ G~~ss saves about 95% of embodied r~inforesmc~nt products energy that would otherwise be I Reuse S Reprocessing wasted". The feasibility depends on the material; for example, reprocessing aluminum saves up to 95% of the embodied energy, but only 20% fa;r glass. Urban Ecology Australia's is anon-profit educational association that offers a terse definition of embodied energy as `the mining and manufacturing of materials and e~}uipment, the transportation of the materials and the administrative functions'. Urban Ecology cites both the RMIT- Greening the built Lifecycle and the Australian Greenhouse Office's 'Your Home Technical Manual'. The UEA is also a proponent of recycling building materials, citing that recyclable materials allow receiving buildings to share some of their embodied energy with delivering buildings, thus providing more building years for the same energy 7 input. Durable materials are preferred because they will extend the buildings' life, and therefore reduce the yearly embodied energy. Canadian Architects is a monthly publication that reviews project designs and features articles on current practice, building technology, and social issues affecting architecture. It has been in continuous publication since 1955 and, in part, offers information on sustainability, in a section., called `Measure of sustainability', the purpose being f `An attempt to describe the negati 1 ~x pacts, or;gonversely the goodness of fit, between human activities or irate' - rations, ecology and the environment. Measures vary`~~between dis es and those used in economics, for exam ay be quite different from others used in areas- uch as soci .For architecture, several useful measures ha veloped~N ~ "earchers, and the simpler measures are t ~ o n .combined into composite measures which attempt to mo ~~ully assess the sustainability of architectural,tltervention.'9 Included in the Measures of sustainability are embodied energy, operating energy, energy (absolute energy efficiency) and durability and externalities. The overview of embodied energy,:y includes a definition, means of measurement, quantification of approximately how much embodied energy is in a building, and an assessment of whether embodied energy is a suitable means of measuring a building's total costs. Canadian Architects (CA} divides embodied energy into two categories: initial embodied energy and recurring embodied energy. Initial embodied energy is concurrent with the generally accepted definition of `the non-renewable energy 9 httpa/www.canadianarchitect.com/asf/perspectives sustainibilitylmeasures of sustainablity/measures of _sustainablity_intro.htm 8 N consumed in the acquisition of raw materials, their processing, manufacturing, transportation to site, and construction'. The initial embodied energy is divided into two sub-categories: Direct energy -the energy used to transport building products to the site, and then to construct the building Indirect energy- the energy used to acquire, process, aril manufacture the building materials, including any transportation related to these activities Recurring embodied energy represents the non-renewable energy consumed to maintain, repair, restore, refurbish or replace materis, components or systems during the life of the building. - ~;;;;=4:^~ This method of breaking up energy into components is unique and also helps to measure the embodied energy of a building in a more feasible way. The CA's quantification of embodied energy is measured as `a quantity of non-renewable energy per unit _~suilding material, component or system'. This could be in megajoules, gigajoules;per weight (kg or ton) or area (square meters or feet). "Implicit in the measure of embodied energy are the associated environmental implicons of resource depletion, greenhouse gases, environmental degradation and reduction of biodiversity. As a rule of thumb, embodied energy is a reasonable indicator of the overall environmental impact of building materials, assemblies or systems. However, it must be carefully weighed against performance and durability since these may have a mitigating or compensatory effect on the initial environmental impacts associated with embodied energy."10 is http://www.canadianarchitec[.com/asf/perspectives _ sustainibility/measures_of_sustainablit~measures_of _sustainablity_embodied.htm t~ Canadian Architects have summarized the research of Cole and Kernan, completed in 1996 as a basis for the theoretical approach towards embodied energy (see Appendix A). The assessment of embodied energy is concluded by questioning the effe iveness of using embodied energy as a tool to quantify the total energy embedded in a building. The CA concluded that. embodied energy is a valid tool as long as the method is not viewed in absolute terms F!. iC~~::Ir ' CA's assessment of resources suggests that ;::rate ^ , can vary greatly depending on the location, manufacturer, .a:k-_c©nstruc Y ~ ' • methods. The publication stresses that as more energy efficient and `zero- n' houses become more common and subsequent operational energy is ramatically decreased, consideration of embodied energy .becomes more important. ~:a Ultimately, CA suggests quantifyirir>~.bodied energ}~= n be a useful tool, but it is not the only component of det~'~rmit~ing the impac , -,building has on the environment. ~~.r ` The Architectural League`` New Yor'k:,.describes its project `Ten Shades of Green' as an exhibition or~,~_.. rchitec~~ral excellent and environmental .r r ~ responsibility. The project evaluae~ the impact architecture has on the environment, and encourages,. signers and architects to do their part in reducin their im act of the wo resources. "Buildin s account for near) h If 9 p 9 Y a the energy consumption of developed countries, and therefore are the major cause of global warming, the most tangibly urgent of environmental problems'.' Ten Shades of Green offers ten steps for creating `fully green architecture'; among the ten steps is an analysis of embodied energy. While the exhibit showcases buildings that rneet one of more of these 10 criteria, the focus of this paper is on the various definitions of embodied energy and how it is quantified. h[tp://www.tenshadesofgreen.or~lOshades.html 10 Ten Shades of Green defines embodied energy as 'all the energy required to extract, manufacture and transport a building's materials as well as that required to assemble and 'finish' it. 12 The project, like the publication from Canadian Architects, stresses that as green architecture, zero-carbon houses and more energy efficient buildings emerge, more emphasis is put on embodied energy. A simple overview is provided on the quantification of embodied energy, based on wood as requiring 640 kilowatt-hours per ton and then compares it to other common building materials. For example, the embodied energy of brick is 4 times (4X) that of wood, concrete (5X), plastic (6X), glass (14X), steel (24X) and aluminum (126X). It encourages the conservation and restoration of old buildings, the use of local materials to decrease transportation energy, and `loose fit' design methods, which give a building flexibility in adaptive reuse. The Architectural League of New York provides a concise summary of embodied energy and outlines other steps in reducing the impact we: have on the world's resources. Embodied Energy in Historic Preservation - - It is argued,.`~i~~t the conservation of embodied energy in a historic structure bec"mopes an added benefit to the social and cultural value of historic buildings. Oftentimes, the design of historic buildings took into account solar orientation, window placement, high ceilings and the use of durable materials. These design features e still beneficial today and can be incorporated into a `green' design. In addition to the energy cost of demolishing a building, there is also the cost of energy invested in historic buildings. Historic structures are commonly constructed of brick, plaster, concrete and timber; materials which consume a relatively low amount of energy. Many modern buildings utilize plastic, steel, vinyl and aluminum in addition to the aforementioned materials. The more contemporary materials are some of the most consumptive in terms of embodied energy, and should be used wisely. Even when materials are used in 'z http://www.tenshadesofgreen.org/lOshades.html 11 i the construction of a new building that are similar to those found in historic buildings, increased pressure on resources makes those materials more expensive in terms of embodied energy than they were in the past though increased transportation and labor costs. The demolition of a historic building and subsequent replacement by a modern structure wastes valuable embodied energy that cannot be easily justified by lower annual operating costs.13 In theory, energy savings can only be realized when the s~~l~~,;of energy used in the construction of a new building and the destructio~~~~ a old building is less than the energy cost of operating the old building r thee.,,. .of its useful life.14 In many instances, the most energy efficie,n~ option is to ilitate an old building to be more efficient in the context`c~f. operational energy c~~tion not only `reuses' the embodied energy, it also ~.~res the energy that would be required to demolish the building ~.nd preserves a hioric link to the past. Con~lu~inn Ultimately, emb~~ ~~nerg "m,'";assessment. and analysis is an effective way of comparing the environ ~ ~ ~#~~cisions made in the built environment, e ~ ~i ~ n ~ - z~Am~, specific~(~ tFe~~stru rt,, demolition, preservation, or adaptation of r d G ~ . struri~ Embodied energy ides provide a platform to determine the best use of o ~grdened natural ar~d~~manufactured resources and provide options for rv~ adaptive reu ~ „growth.=management, and conservation. As quantification of embodied energy,` an inexact science, attention must be paid to the manner _:9~a. in which comparative analysis is made and the invariability of assessment methods. Considering that 40% of carbon emissions are attributed to buildings15, an important factor to consider when designing new construction is how much useful '3 Rypkema, Donovan. Economics, Sustainability, and Historic Preservation. 2005 14 McIlwain, John and Knox McIlwain. Out with the New and in with the Old. ULI.2007 15 http_//www.nationaltrust.org/greenlabout.html 12 Considering that 40% of carbon emissions are attributed to buildings15, an important factor to consider when designing new construction is how much useful energy will be wasted with the demolition of an old building. On average, embodied energy accounts for 20% of a building's energy use during a 50-year cycle; equivalent to 10 to 20 times the annual energy use.16 During an assessment of Toronto homes, completed by a Canadian research group, it was concluded that the average house had an embodied energy„..roughly equal to a quarter of the energy needed to sustain that house for 4(~~ears:" Simply demolishing a building to build a new `green' structur~;~s~~t:,energy efficient and the decreased operational costs will not outweigi~ the~~energy vy~~ted with the n demolition of the structure. ~ _ r~ t is httpa/www.nationaltrust.org/green/about.html 16 Recovery Insulation- Embodied Energy Mumma, Tracy. Reducing the Embodied Energy of Buildings. Home Energy Magazine. 1995 13 s P P Appendix A EnvBtope 2696 s,r„~tu« "Research carried out by Cole and Kernan(1) using a 24% model based on Canadian construction of a generic 4 ~ ~ art ~~~~~_A 620 m2 (50,000 ft2) three-storey office building with s i' ,~,s Y~~-~~ j . ~ .r;~~ underground parking, considered three different ~ construction systems (wood, steel and concrete), and 24% Firrishes 13~ yielded the following results for average total initial site vrorx Con embodied energy. (Note: Data were averaged for the s~~ three construction systems as the overall differences Average TntaE Initial Emtxadied Energy 4.82 G.llm' between the building types were not significant. Breakdown of Initial Embodied Energy by Typical Office Building Components Averaged Over Wood, Steel and The building envelope, structure and services Concrete Structures [Cole and Kernan, contribute fairly equally and account for about 1996] three-quarters of total initial embodied energy. The finishes, which represent only 13% of the embodied energy initially, typically account for the highest increase in recurring embodied energy. Embodied energy may not be significantly different between building systems (e.g., wood versus steel versus concrete), however, the environmental impacts associated with one material versus another can be dramatically different. (2) It is interesting to consider the relationship between site work (6% of initial embodied energy) and services (24%). The reallocation of embodied energy, and hence project budget, from conventional services to the site management of storm water, for example, may have a negligible effect on initial embodied energy, but the impact on recurring embodied energy may prove significant. Additional benefits downstream of the building at the community infrastructure level should also be considered. This points to one of the shortcomings of embodied energy analysis, which typically ends at the property line and is somewhat unwieldy in dealing with a broader context. When recurring embodied energy in buildings is considered, yet more interesting relationships are revealed from the work of Cole and Kernan. First, to the credit of civil engineers, the structures of buildings normally do not expend recurring embodied energy, lasting the life of the building. By year 25, however, a typical office building will see an increase of almost 57% of its initial embodied energy due mostly to envelope, finishes and services. By year 50, recurring embodied energy wilt represent about 144% of the initial embodied energy, and it 14 was projected that by year 100, this proportion would rise to almost 325%. This relationship is a direct result of what is referred to as differential durability, where the service lives of the various materials, components, and systems comprising the building differ dramatically. The current preoccupation with lower first costs in buildings reveals its disregard for sustainability when viewed from a building life cycle perspective."'$ i l8 http://www.canadianarchitect.com/asf/perspectives sustainibility/measures of sustainablity/measures of sustainablity embodied.htm 15 ~.y...: cx. Ei.~_.F:.. ,-.k •~v..av.,,+., .c....° ~ ti ~ j ..5. r ~ f z+.- Lrp T ..l~.~ 5~63'~ a~,'-~".~s~SP9 jr rs •S}."L 7 ~ ~ t-i ~a.r ~~t .Ni. '-s ~'4~~CA a ~na~" z r f ~£~9: k .mss ,~i f i n, T ~ r .T~,,. ra ti 3 .r LY ':F r { ..,y 1.a tr ~~y eT+ir j rti. rk".< r '->rSZ i~ ;i 1.3.ta~q~~? r ~~S•~as;e~~ kn ~ ,Y,, . ~ • _ ~ _ ~ - - - • • •Fr-s_, a~ ~ ~ ~ s~~tif- - Sastainabt~€saitt E~virdnmer~t -1---- ~ . , ~ r4 . Buildings are high consumers of energy and therefore have a significant impact on our environment. The study of embodied energy gives us an understanding of how much ~?nd energy is used in the construction of buildings, and the cost benefits of recycling. What is Embodied Energy? _ _ Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all of the - - Alunlph~n•'BMar ~ processes associated with the production of a building, e~..•c.e+. Y; from the acquisition of natural resources to product r+.~ac~tarb~«» ~-~„~_.___..,,.~.,,,_@.~ ..i delivery, including mining, manufacturing of materials and O1"'~"a`"°" ~ - equipment, transport and administrative functions. ~ sa.,..,,,~ a.a~ra.-Yoiw/wy How is Embodied Energy Related to n,.e...r.w~.ew.e Carbon Dioxide Emissions? TM0i-Orgon C02 emissions are highly correlated with the energy consumed in manufacturing building materials. rs. rrw.um Furthermore, cement and aluminium are higher than c,,,~,,.~. average and glass is lower. On average, 0.098 tonnes of L e+nc<+daa. ,.,oy cc,i r ~ ~N C02 are produced per gigajoule of embodied energy. Why is Embodied Energy Important? The energy embodied in existing building stock in Australia ~ ~ is equivalent to ten years of the total energy consumption ~ sv for the entire nation. Choice of material and design principles have a significant, but previously unrecognised, a _ impact on energy required to construct a building. zo Embodied ener is one measure of the environmental gY ~ _ ~~r,. impact of construction and the effectiveness of any ' +~m.rt~,., s.-~~=~~~~_r;~..,<n: ca.3~ recycling, particularly C02 emissions. _ _ ,Reuse Reprocessing___ How Much Does Embodied Energy Vary Between Materials? http://www.cmmt.csiro.au/brochures/tech/embodied/index.cfm 121281 X007 The embodied energy per unit mass of materials used in building varies enormously from about two gigajoules tonne for concrete to hundreds of gigajoules per tonne for aluminium. Using these values alone to determine l materials is inappropriate because of the differing lifetimes of materials, differing quantities required to perfc same task and different design requirements. How Do We Compare The Embodied Energy Impact of Materials? In choosing between alternative building materials or products on the basis of embodied energy, not only the i materials should be considered but also the materials consumed over the life of the building during maintenan repair and replacement. As buildings are becoming more energy efficient in their operation, the embodied energy is ~ ~ ~ approaching half the lifetime energy consumption. Do Reuse And Recycling of Materials Reduce Embodied Energy? ~w The reuse of building materials commonly saves about 95% ' i'~,+ of embodied energy which would otherwise be wasted. ow~•. ~~s ~ Some materials such as bricks and tiles suffer damage W.N.: losses up to 30% in reuse. The savings by recycling of materials for reprocessing varies considerably with savings up to 95% for aluminium but only 20% for glass. Some i_-- reprocessing may use more energy, particularly if long I transport distances are involved. II__`""~__ - - - - How Does Embodied Energy Compare With Annual Operating Energy? ~ The embodied energy of a building is a significant multiple of the annual operating energy consumed, ranging around 10 for typical dwellings to over 30 for office W buildings. Making buildings such as dwellings more energy efficient usually requires more embodied energy thus a ~!°~°°~d~ Ifyk 9 increasing the ratio even further. ~ ~ ~tl~a , How Much Embodied Energy Is There ~ ~ r ~ , In a House? , . • ' - , The simpler, tighter clad houses generally have a lower , ' V ~ ~ ! embodied energy value in total and per unit floor area, , • " / , r' due to fewer materials being used in construction and / " ~ lower embodied energy coefficients for those materials. ~ " Embodied energy of houses ranges from about 4.5 GJ/m2 r.~. to 5.5 GJlm2 mainly depending on floor type, material of cladding and number ofstoreys. For more information contact: http://www.cmmt.csiro.au/brochures/tech/emhodied/index.cfm 12/28/2007 i ~ i i Amid our green-bull i l ~ne leet~n the old i f e , . ~ ~ s ~.us mi h us de _ ~ ~R fi i i F f ~ ! f t e yt~ - rr~e the person w~~ ~~o~'sn't~ ~ ` ° ~ ~i ~~°r' Y ~reen~;~er~v~~orimentall~?respor~s~b~ei`~i1~c~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ " ,t ; ~ . ~~~w ~ ~Creen buildings are good for ou and god ~or~~` - ~ Y , society, and they're `abso~u#ely everywhere ~,t~es~ r ` r*' ar t~~~ ~ ; r ~ 4y. y'' p.v ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ rg' 4` f~$~ 1~~'g,h ~Yy~t a F r ~ r- ~ +ay`~s;-you can't open ~n ~,rchi~~c~c~re ~~ubi~a#tc~ ~~y~~-~ ` rr x r~ b ¢ arf -i - 3 ~ i XC 'St -cw~y"F app S t ~~,YR~~'t. ~ Y,~~.~rithbut s~e~ng a sptias~yspread #out~ng same ndw ~ per- t r c ~ _ ~ _ ~ i . ~ s~sta~nable project. The green builtl~n movement~has ~4 y 4 ~ l= ~A=4 l^ytL*~.. c~ f"2 i = i : ~ - (Ltk M ~ r ~ ~ e~ren_ 4added ~#o our ~ocabu~ary, albe~t~with ungalt~ z~~~~~~ a e~c~press~ons ~i~Ce carbon fo'o~pr~ni~~and C'S`C ce`~~fi~d ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ; I ~ X~ 3_~' ~ x 'ter -~~y ~i ~ ~ ~ ~WOOC~. !n dust a few years; #hernonprofit U S green Budding CounG~l (which ~ ~~'i ~ <f i ~ `.h S . r L 3 f t ~ ` t t t~ 4 v > - t y ^ y ~iaE` ~ ~ ~y ~ ~ ~admrnisters the Leadersfi~p iri Energy an~!`Envrr~nmenta~ benign p ogramj~ ~ 2 ~ # a. : 3 t~.~ .v s ~ .-,,2 ~ i < Yx .M~ti7 3, t ~:"4 ~r .y .~~'.'-~}~'`k -lam' e~~ M~l'~$~ ~k3~~0.~~ 1 ~ ~ t. ~ ~ ~ has be~drne surprlsing~y inf~uentia~ ~n ~haping how new commere~af~+udd~r~gs - ~ _ ~ ~ ~ , = ;r r s ~ r r~'pons~~tiCted i e the k Good Houseke ping Research Inst~tut ~ atss al` ~ ~ ~~yz~ ~ ~ 4 S x~ a e, vV th e + ~ _ ot.approval, the tour}cal puts a sort of ecostamp on b~~ldings via a menu ~fpo~~ ~ t r eddrng ah~sth~rnew;term to#h~' lex~c'on~~E~~? ce~ified`~ lVio~t'e~'thai~a`hand r> _ ti E _ ~ S ya ~ ~~M A i - - r ~ 4 #ul~# Jocat grad state`governments have passed laws requrring that new public} J"~ _ , ~ .r _ ~ rE ~ t4= ' ~~ui~„Cciings lid ~:EE~ certified (Structures meet~t~g basic requ~remer~ts are ~ ~ ~«~l ~ ~ 'i~d~l. ;~,°',i:.?~ :z z r F Y _ .T 4 ~ ' ;t"w C Z4 pp~.h ~ dee~edE~ert~fied, those that go'beyond the minimum can receive silver, gold, ~r~ ~ ~ 3 , at~~~pla~rtum rating) Ip Seattle; new city bu?ldings mus# achieve a silver rat 4 ~ mg, which is~also:t`rue in,Dallas #o~ new construction of more th~rt ~D,000 r IG cS.~ Vii; F t ? - y ~ _ nationaltrust.org Jpreservation January~February 2008 PRESERVATION 19 - . z---- v+.=z~.7;x+a~ 7: rte...-~i~!S _-`_^A: - - - - _ - - ~ - T*V"*v•. i .,.-,r.,.;. ter,. :i ~I square feet. Companies like Royal Caribbean, Nike, and Adobe mental. Both groups subscribe to the precautionary principle, have all touted their LEED buildings. When Armstrong, maker in which minimal intervention is always preferred tomajor over- of flooring and cabinets, unveiled its impressive LEED-platinum hauls. building last summer in Pennsylvania, government officials Yet when it comes to green, the gulf between the two F there proudly proclaimed their state second only to California may be broadening. New green buildings, brimming with the in LEED certifications. And last fall, the Green Building Coun- latest in modern technology, are perceived to be on one side; the r cil Taunc~ new =atiirg system for houses, joining-the old buildings; full of Y~aaint,-inefficienttechmologiesand_drafty National Association of Home Builders and Energy Star. windows, are on the other. Which leads one to ask: Just how F This rush toward ecofriendliness was wryly dubbed "con- "ungreen" and energy inefficient are those older buildings? spicuous conservation" by Wired magazine a decade ago. Not very, it turns out. The reputation of older structures as Green, it seems, is the new Gehry. Of course, green is more than energy sieves, in short, is simply not justified by the data. a style. It's an imperative. Henry Moss, an architect with According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Bruner/ Cott in Massachusetts, recently suggested in a talk to commercial buildings constructed prior to 1920 have an aver- the Boston Preservation Alliance that "sustainability has taken age energy consumption of 80,127 BTUs per square foot. For the moral high- ground from preservation." Old is nice, but the more efficient buildings built since 2000, that number is green is essential. It's something society needs to do now And 79,703 BTUs. (The energy efficiency of buildings constructed like most medicines, green might taste a little bitter. And it between these years was less enviable-reaching around ~ might involve a small sacrifice or two. 100,000 BTUs-reflecting the cheap oil and electricity of the One might be tempted to compare the recent green wave thermostat age.) with the rise of modernism more than ahalf-century ago. Older homes may not have been as stout and efficient as Planners and architects back then didn't just want buildings to commercial buildings, but they were green in their own way. look di$'erent; they also wanted to change the direction society "The original buildings had no choice but to be green," said was headed. The old ways of thinking were outmoded. Yes- Florida architect Steve Mouzon, founder of the New Urbari terday's buildings solved yesterday's problems; new buildings Guild, at last fall's traditional building conference. "Other- were needed to solve the problems of today-and tomorrow wise, you'd die of heat stroke in the summer, or freeze to death Of course, many people will recall what happened to America's in the winter." Houses in the South had high ceilings and lou- r ~ I. - r P".'a iY l :Z ~ i ~ j~.j2`'g~,a R r s ~ x1~t~'~~r--~ J t I,~~- t art x..77® 29Q,t~®f~ r k ~ ~ ~ ~ , - 1/~ ` den2aix~om^,~ ~ t - 1.7~~ ~ Y~®~ S t5s ~ Z f fy Y.r' ~ ~ * ~ ~ V.',x~tl~~ r pw 1'i E ~L ~~~~jt~~'` f -~l}` tif..~~~ N~tY '.~y'~~jS~s ~';..n f.,~(ar-=Yw ~~$k"~yf ka,~my .t,~,,a~,>F''{, ~ bl ~_.f+ak Y U tr / ( C V_. z k.,~ sr~ st it~c~`i,-c~ r 4k",r fit,, ~"d`~-s~~t 'fie' ~.a a,~~': r... ,~..:t ._,..Y Q~ ~ ~ historic fabric the last time we undertook a nationwide revamp- vered shutters; in the North, they featured thick walls and ing of the built landscape. The result was urban renewal, and smaller windows. Sleeping porches provided coolness insum- itleft many of our best urban areas in tatters and many of our mer, and woodstove-centered kitchens gave off warmth in historic buildings in piles of rubble. And though hardly anyone winter. Today, new houses tend to be largely interchangeable would argue against the need to reduce our consumption of wherever you live. Shutters, for instance, have become vestig- dwindling resources, one other word might come to mind ial, totems from the past screwed into the sides of new houses when listening to those who envision a brave new world filled that do nothing against the wind or sun. with environmentally friendly new buildings: IJh-oh. "People often tend to think that historic buildings are inher- entlyenergy inefficient," writes Walter Sedovic, a preservation in the preservation business have always architect in Irvington, N.Y. "The opposite, though, is more likely been about sustainabiliry and steward- to be true: that many historic buildings are inherently very ship," said Mike Jackson, chief architect energy e$iaent " As he put it when I contacted him; "Before sus- with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, at the Traditional tainability had a name, traditional builders incorporated sus- Building Exposition and Conference in New. Orleans last fall. tainable elements into buildings. Working in sync with the envi- "But it's a message that's not getting out" ronment was the norm, including siting, local materials, natural Preservationists and environmentalists have long shared ventilation, shading, reflective roofing, cisterns, indigenous many values. For starters, there's the drive toward stewardship plantings-the list becomes long, and in many ways mirrors and conservation of resources, whether cultural or environ- `new' standards espoused today." 't~ PRESERVATION January~February 2008 nationaltrust.org/preservation .5t r~ w ~ F;"'P F 'R~t".-9~.5L'~'.TG., fR"g'w"~y.1 t~v' '`~a'''~"^: ~R~~~r~` f 4 f~ r~~Y"..f. ! `sc ^+u,, s a a ~ t v g 3X 'cam 4 t ,~I~, ~ ~ F- r ~ ~ x ~x" ' ' " ~ ' ' ' ' Consider one curious example: pris- I ~ ' ' ' ~ ~ ' - ' ' ~ matic glass blocks, which can still be spotted above the doorway of tl~e occa- ~ ~ , sional early-20th-century storefront. 'These glass blocks, invented in the late 1 19th century, were cast with prisms -along one-side to redirect suringCit deep ~ ~ into long and dark rooms, magpifying ` - available light between five and 50 times. ~ - ~ r i The LuxferPrism Co.,the leadir,.gman- r '~~a ufacturer, once held 162 patents related <,.;; ~ `F_ to these glass blocks, and a youn;~, archi- r~ test named Frank Lloyd Wright served as • ,t; ~ _ product designer for a year. Some 300 _ ~ `';t ~ ` buildings featured the prisms in the first f! i ~ ~ ' year of production. By 1906, the r;umber r• s~ . of buildings employing them swelled ' ~ ~ ` to 12,000. Then th fell out of fashion. eY ' . y ~ ..,,r - * Cheap electriaty became available, light- , ~ ing even the dimmest recesses of a shop ~-a ~ _ or office with the flip of a switch. Manu- ~ , " i ; t ~ i:~ facturersceasedproducingptismblocks ~ ~ ~ by the 1930s. The existing blocks were ls-~ painted over or blocked by drop ceilings. S P ~ <i ~ • _ ~ ~ u ~ Now, the whole idea of moving day- ~r.^ - light deep into buildings is back in fash- ~ i 5 ?vi,. J °Yi~ Cv:-5 Art ' !'-v4 1 ~ ~ i r ~ ' y <Y ~ I f ~ i' ~is~ri.:-1' 7 u.Zit~J~I.CiII ..r~ 6 ~a ~ ~ .b I i ~ 3 ~ r x r " ~~i5~~~~54r~.g~ Gti~# ~y _ '..r ^{'n ~,f`~yy C lgt 1 ~ # ~ r', ~p i r.'~~' - sy„~1~`t~~.~'F~,~'ga,S,s~. "r ~F. 6~~ ~ k*. ~ ~..n. y4`tt6 v tr.r ~'1, x .~-.i u~a _4.,.0..1N .1.4~:.:~#-X'vu<_#?aj. '..a 1.-a~ ? z +,~Ne -r a~~_'~` i :'tf' ti.,.. _ ~x>.,£ ion. The term currently in vogue is. "day- ~ ~ lighting"-that is, maximizing natural light in a building with reflective tubes or fiber optics. "Good daylighting creates ~~~~+"9 ~~f" ~ ~ ~ s' beautiful, appropriately lit spaces while - ~r~~~ 4 , f a saving energy," reports the DaYli€~'t9ng ;z s ~ - E ~T a a r s ~ ~ ~ ~ k y f ~ u. Collaborative of the Energy Center of ` _ Wisconsin. - _ A Old windows, of course, aren't often ; ? associated with "green" these days. i~r ~ _ ; ' { LL € Quite the opposite. Ancient, paint- .K_: s ~ _ flecked panes are pulled out every day, - with new vinyl windows inserted ir" their stead by homeowners seduced bynews- I ,v~ -1-`' ~ _ ~ ' ~ ' ~ ~ paper ads promising that you can 'Save k t ~ ' r i='~~ l~ ~ i i ~ 6t~ f r Energy Now!" for impossibly ]ow prices, 4 1 1 .~°e }ii it Pe, r o., ~ e _ ~ ' ( including installation. The aesthetic .y Y~4r~ 1 ~ r~~~a i~ l~.r. i=~~ js i,i 1t bii tt ~ y~` z~ t'1,, 22 ~ ` result? A building that had long worn ele- naIion~ltruat orglpreservaifon { £ - January~Fehruary 2008 PRESERVATION 21 i f~;~a Kent glasses. ' Ydj; It's a sacrifice, of course. But it's for the greater go ~i t~'~r `r. because replacement windows make sense for environmenta; ~ ® reasons, right? Not so fast. It turns out that windows-even old single-pane windows-are responsible for relatively minor _ _ energy loss in most buildings. "Only 10 to 12 percent of the total air infiltration in a build- ing isthrough the windows," said Sedovic. "The cold isn't being transferred through the glass. It's through openings in and around the sash. The energy loss is mostly through the roof and ~s, - , x : ~ •i'~Ylut ~ ~ a~ t', through the sill." He suggested that "replacement walls" or Bgtt~i i' ~ ~ s j "replacement fireplaces" would make more sense for the energy , t' conscious. So why are we bombarded with ads for replacement ~ i windows? "It's because windows are easy to construct, easy to ~r ~ - ~ Y i'``ce, y~~~ transport, and easy to sell," he said. "But they're the wrong idea." ~'~~~~y~ Accorl~ingtothe Whole BuildingDesign''~~'ae, forinstance, ~~a' ~ an older single-pane window has an insulation factor of Rl. A , : ~ ,2~.,.... = ~ ~~;r modern double-glazed window offers R3 insulation. Yet if the i I walls of a historic building have an R-value in the teens, "tak- - ' ' ` ' ' " ' ' ing a window from R1 to R3 will not provide sufficient energy I ~ ~ ~ - ' ~ ~ ~ ~ ' , { r l.i ~~ty~.'4~.~a~.~,i ;~.s~ dlo:~ae ; ~ ~ s green >f , f emxs .gas ~zt~isslans t ; ~ .t~~ ~ i~ ~ ~~lO 3~ICLI ~ a° ;Ef ~C ~'k`1!I-I,1'~i r "Ik ~y~ t f ~ 1r>cu E;• i .I,i rqs ~ k av4~~ i j ~t x f R. ~i:, ~ry,~~:~.["t:k3tt~515'{ y aF t .2e u, ' savings to offset the cost of replacement windows and associ- ~ ' ~ t - ,i ' Q ated waste," according to the guide. t ~ ; ; What's more, if your goal is to reduce overall resource con- _ - sumption,restoring and maintaining old windows make sense - ` in another way. "We call them replacement windows because - - ~ + " . .q>,,~ you keep replacing them," said Sedovic, invoking the words of r_ his colleague John Seekircher. ' ` When modern windows, with their high-tech seals, et'en- ,t$, tually fail-and they will-the result tends to be catastrophic xr' failure. You don't repair them. You replace them. Anyone who doesn't see something amiss in replacing century-old win- ~ " doves with "environmentally responsible" windows that will be ~ junked and replaced every decade or two is suffering from an irony deficiency. most responsible way to buy clothes is ' , ~ to shop at Goodwill. And the most 1 _ I ~ ~ responsible way to build is to recycle - ~ { ~ ~ I - ` ~ ' ' ' an old building." So said Yvon Chouinard, the founder of outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia, at the opening of its Portland, Ore., store in 2001. The shop is on the ground floor of a reclaimed 22 PRESERVATION JanuarytFebruary 2008 nationaltrust.org/preservation ~L. former warehouse and truck terminal originally dating to today, with the price of a barrel of oil stampeding toward s 1895. (The building was bought and rehabbed by the envi- three digits, it's edging its way back in. ronmental advocacy group Ecotrust, which has headquar- The data behind embodied energy are compelling. Accord- ters inthe building; it was the first historic restoration to earn ing to Jackson, if embodied energy is worked into the equation, t a LEED gold rating.) even a new, energy-e$'ident office building doesn't actually start } The same notion was put more simply by architect Carl Ele- saving energy for about 40 years. And if it replaces az older fante in last summer's ForumJournal (published by the National building that was knocked down and hauled away,. the break- - Trost): "Thegreenesrbuttzil rig is one tTiat is akeady built." even period stretches to some 65 years, since demolition and dis- That's more than a snappy T-shirt slogan. It's a fresh per- posal consume significant amounts of energy. '"There's no spective for looking at our building stock. "The `green design' payback here," Jackson said. "We're not going to build anything movement," said Illinois architectJackson, "has largely ignored today that's going to last 65 years." the inherent ecological advantages of building reuse, including The figures are less eye-popping for new residential con- theprimary one-embodied energy." struction. It takes about 13 years to recoup lost energy, ,assum- Embodied energy. Another term unlovely to the ear, it's one ing that a new, environmentally efficient home is svnilarly with which preservationists need to get comfortable. In two sized to an older one. But it's probably not, given the b;alloon- words, it neatly encapsulates a persuasive rationale for sustain- ing of the average American house. Double the size of a house, ing old buildings rather than building from scratch. When peo- and the time needed to recoup lost energy grows to 2E years. ple talk about energy use and buildings, they invariably mean Sometimes, the energy costs are even less apparer..t. The operating energy: how much energy a buildingwhether new Chesapeake Bay Foundation's newly constructed Philip ivlerrill or old-will use from today forward for heating, cooling, and Environmental Center opened in late 2000, and the foundation illumination. Starting at this point of analysis-the present-new notes that it "maybe the world's `greenest' building." Ilideed, it was the first to earn a LEED platinum rat- ' ing, and it's been cleverly designed tp reduce . ~ ~ ~ ~ # ~ r a ~ ~ ~ its environmental impact with cork floors 1 r r ~ i„ 1 ~,~i 1F ' ; ,~tjZ¢ -~~-tTg'-~fl ~ , ~ ; and asterns and materials that are wholly F ~ r z a ~ 3; ` recyclable. But as Environmental Bi,.iiding i , , , , , , , News recently noted, the new building was . , - ~ _ constructed 10 miles from the original head- quarters indowntown Annapolis, Md., :nean- will ofrentrump old. But the analysis takes into account neither ing that many of the 100 employees who once walked to work • the energy that's already bound up in preexisting buildings nor the now drive. (The new building does feature fadlities for bikes and energy used to construct a new green building instead of kayaks to encourage self-propelled transport.) It's uno~rtain i reusing an old one. "Old buildings are a fossil fuel repository," whether the energy savings from the new building will offset as Jackson put it, "places where we've saved energy." the increased consumption from the commuting. Simply defined, embodied energy is the energy required to An analysis by Environmental Building News has concluded extract, process, manufacture, transport, and install building that the energy used by workers getting to work at the average materials. And it's not a new idea. The concept has been around office building is about 30 percent more than that consum ed by since at least 1976, when energy pioneers Bruce Hannon and the building itself: For new office buildings, energy consump- Richard Stein calculated how many BTUs were required topro- tion by commuters is double that of the buildings. It's all part duce various building materials. They determinedthatthe typ- of what architect Shari Shapiro has referred to as "I;reen W teal building of the mid-20th century required the equivalent of sprawl"-the building of green structures in unsustainable Z five to 15 gallons of gasoline per square foot. contexts. The solution for getting away from these hidden a Preservationists took note. The poster for Preservation imbalances, many experts believe, is to move from an empha- o Week in 1980 featured an illustration of a brickbuilding in the sis on green design to green planning, to refocus from die lit- a shape of a gas can, overtly linking energy and buildings. A year tle picture to the big. Only then can green architecture get I. o later, the National Trust published New Energy from Old Build- beyond feel-good slogans and have a genuine impact. o ings, which laid out the case for keeping old buildings in oper- o ation for the simple purpose of saving energy. Then, with the t ` have agreed to learn from the old folks," Y plummetingprice of fuel, embodied energy fell out of fashion, said Florida architect Mouzon lase fall, like prism glass. The whole notion of viewing our cityscapes as speaking of his fellow New Urbanist f o latent oil fields disappeared from the national conversation. But designers. And that means not just learning the older, enduring i ~ w nationaltrust.org/preservation January~February 2008 PRESERVATION 23 . styles of architecture, but also designing with the local environment in mind, siting homes for k greater efficiency, and building houses that sit lighter on the land. Among the signal traits for ensuring sus- - tainabiliry is one that gets little attention, said a ~ - ,ems Mouzon. And that's `7ovability." "The very first core of sustainabiliry is: Can _ a building be loved?" said Mouzon. "It doesn't matter how much energy you save if you're ~ • carting it off to a landfill in ~a generation." Take, for example, solar panels, many acres of ~ r, ~ ~ ~ which were installed on rooftops during the Envi- ~ ronmentalism 1.0 (and energy crunch) of the ~.'ati " , , t ~ u. - ti, ~ i ,4 ` t' ' } 197os. Technical shortcomings aside, they didn't f . t F`', i ~ ~ ~:~,t ; last because they were generally regarded aseye- , . sores. "We lost a generation of sustainabiliry ia; - ~ ~ ~ - because they couldn't be loved," Mouzon said. ~ ~ ' ' "Sustainabilirybeginswithpreservation" is ' ~ t~~~,, , how the authors of the Whole Building Design ~ Guide put it. And that could be the motto of the ~ . National Trust's new focus. At the Trust's annual ~~~1 meetin in St. Paul last fall, President Richard g = , - - ~ I Moe noted that the preservation movement has periodically reinvented itself It started with a ` x z ~ !i<~f ~r a t ~ focus on iconic landmarks, then took up the r r.. ~ c benefits of adaptive use before going on to l emphasize the social values of preservation in f - , _ . - ~ i b ding stronger communities. ~g uil k fi $ ti~ ,t .3 "Now we're on the threshold of a new phase," he said, "as growing numbers of people _ h x Ss: ~ 3 ~ k z fT ~ are concerned about the degradation of the t • , ,5~ k ' environment and our relentless consumption of m~=L., " i y-- F ~ - _ irreplaceable energy and natural resources. , . ~ ' - Preservation certainly isn't the solution to these ~ ' . T - - problems, but it can be-and should be-an _ important part of the solution: ' ~ - "Let's tell the story that we're green," Jack- . P _ ° son said. "We're just stealth green. We don't s,_ ~ - ~ show it we have no solar panels, no collec- tors, no whiz-bang things. We're taking old buildings and putting them back in use and _ making them more green" ° Stealth green. Another new term. And one preservationists can embrace. Better yet would ~ _ ~ s be a different mindset-one in which going - ~ ~ i ~ ~ , x ~ ' i a green wouldn't have to be done on the sly. a ~ ~ y ~ ~A~,~~ ~„r,~;, z ~ wl ~ ;V~ ~ } 7~ ~ Contributing editor Wayne Curtis is the author of And a r r ~ , , Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten ~}Q~ +~,fi/ i ~ $ / 'mil{- 4 ~ ~ 3 } Zg~ .-~~~r a a k~,~E ; j ar ` ~.'0C1Ct3116. r. r ~ . - r 24 PRESERVATION January~february 2008 nationaltrust.org/preservation ARer the Storm ' ~~~e~~t~1~o ~ ~ Fo~mc ~ . NAPC 2007 200 ~ HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE STUDY REPORT Janine L. Duncan Editor's Note: Many participants in the 2006 National Commission Forum called on NAPC to guild on the information provided in the °Local Ordinances: Revising and Updating" breakout session and in Debbie Abele's article "Preservation Ordinances: The Times TheyAreA-Changin"'(TheAlliance Review, Novem- ber/December 2003) In 2007, NAPC support staff, Janine Duncan, conducted a study to team what items should be included in a preservation ordinance in order for it to be optimally effective. (Or conversely, if there are items to be avoided because it/them make an ordinance ineffective.) Specific concerns will dif- fer from location to location, but it was felt that a consensus could be found because threads of common experience run through the U. S. preservation community. The Survey The United States was divided into regions, and an attempt was made to survey at lea:;t two indi- viduals from each region. Professionals representing a wide spectrum of the preservation commu- nity-SHPO, DNR, consultants, attorneys-were contacted by email and telephone for p~irticipatory interest. The majority of the telephone interviews took place between January and March 2007. A simple telephone interview sheet was used to record data. The final participant list included indi- viduals from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington State.' The Results State-specific challenges were discussed (e.g., how to engage Alaska's transient populati~~n in pres- ervation), but universal themes emerged very quickly and they fell into the following cateclories: • Demolition • Education 1 Training • Incentives & Zoning • Ordinance Review • Politics /Enforcement • Staffing & Funding Education A significant need throughout the country is preservation education, and it manifests itself in three ways: 1) Education of commissioners and government officials, 2) Education of the genE:ral public, and 3) Education in our schools. Boyd Mayer of Arkansas described the improved quality of com- mission work after the Arkansas SHPO began a regular program of local commissionE:r training. As noted by Bratten Thomason (Texas), Jo Ann Radetic (Missouri) and Megan Duvall (Washington State), uneven commissioner education in those states has created situations whereby many com- missioners do not realize that they serve on aquasi-governmental body, or that they need to under- stand the Rules of Procedure in order to provide fair hearings. Public education becomes a luxury due to tight budgets. How many property owners ire a historic district realize that the act of painting a fence is preservation? We need to get the word out in a more efficient fashion. Maybe this would happen, as suggested by Rolene Schliesman of Montana, if preservation offices were run like businesses. Or maybe, as suggested by Nancy Jane Baker of Tennessee, it would happen if school boards broadly integrated preservation into local curriculum. Incentives & Zoning As we know, infill construction occurs where zoning is missing or weak. An interesting scE:nario was described by Nicole Diehlmann of Maryland. Three Maryland counties-Calvert, Anne Arundel and Prince George's (see map}-utilize subdivision review as part of their zoning. Additionally, Anne Arundel County has an active archaeology program and no preservation commission-all preserva- tion comes through the subdivision review process. In the case of Anne Arundel County, the Mary- . land preservation community is concerned that the lack of a preservation commission and reliance on subdivision reviews will cause a loss of historic fabric over the coming years. The use of tax incentives cannot be easily categorized. In Arkansas, lack of incentives is a function 1$ NEWS from the NATIONAL ALLIANCE of PRESERVATION COMMISSIONS Gulf Coast Recovery ' ~~~o CiGv Co,~r NAPC Forum v, ~ 2008 i r i ~ e of the state legislature rather than a missir~y element in the state constitution. Conversely, Washing- ton State does not assess a state income tax so the success of local tax incentives is due in part to the localized zoning and tax abatement provisions provided in the Washington constitution. States with income taxes, such as Missouri and Virginia, have successfully exploited the availability of 'Alle an ~ Carroll r ' • . Cecit Garrett % ~ 9 Y' 1Nashin~ton,: Narfard . Frederick' eltimare - ; Kent ; E ~ Howard , . } Montgomery ,''YAnne ,Anne s Prints George's ti_.. ~ Caroline Talbot Calvert Charles ; : '',.Dorchester . - ~ Wicomico §t: Mary's ~ Worcester Sortrerset state tax credits to vastly increase the number of restored properties. (Missouri's tax incentives are credited with the successful preservation efforts in downtown St. Louis.) Alaska collects property taxes on both the state and local levels, but is not to the point of wanting to freeze taxes to stimulate preservation. Politics, Enforcement, Ordinance Review & Demolition The amount to which the property rights movement has affected historic preservation in the U.S. is staggering; virtually every survey participant mentioned property rights in some fashion. While most stated that the movement was stronger in rural communities, it is still significant that nearly every professional in every state must acknowledge it in one way or another. Not all of the property rights measures from the 2006 general election passed vote, but this may be beside the point. The fact the subject is on the minds of so many in the preservation community could mean that the move- ment is having more success than it may realize. The frustration at the lack of legal enforcement is also an issue in many states. Lack of enforce- ment may relate back to the universal bane of preservation-low funding-but it may also hark back to departmental education ("We have a preservation ordinance?") or preservation's status within government as a whole. 'I An alternate view of the enforcement issue was put forth by Dan Corson of Colorado: A city coun- cil's ability to undertake demolition review, for example, is not as important as the political will of the I, community. For example, if Denver residents were to make demolition or demolition review aprior- ity, then the city council may feel inclined to review the ordinance and procedures. 4,, The survey participants who discussed ordinance review agreed that it is something which should lid ~s:: be done, but it is important to accurately gauge the local political climate beforehand. No one wants ~ to lose hard-fought ground. As described by Dan Corson, spot review of an element that is not work- i ing is a good use of council time, but an overall review may cause more problems than intended. ~i: _ I{' Nov-Dec 200 19 After the Storm , ic~E~~Ca~~, ~~a e Fo~mC ~ . 200 Demolition delays began to appear in Massachusetts ordinances in the 1980s, and thE:y are now used by 115 municipalities. As described by Christopher Skelly, the delay is age based, meaning that properties over fifty or seventy-five years (depending upon location) are subject to a delay. The number of months varies by community, and in his experience, any developer or property owner with the means to wait out the delay will be allowed to demolish a property at the end of the period. Lo- cal governments can deny demolition permits for landmarks in locally-designated districts, but even so the majority of properties standing at the end of a delay are demolished. In one rare situation, a demolition delay in Brookline, Massachusetts triggered the creation of a historic district. An alternate scenario was provided by Nicole Diehlmann in Maryland. Some communities in that state leverage aninety-day demolition delay with an economic hardship rule; however, this has not proved entirely effective because, as with Massachusetts, a property owner needs only to wait out the delay. A third example of demolition delays came from Paige Pollard in Virginia. Virginia is a Dillon's Rule state, and for those readers not familiar with this situation it boils down to local and county govern- ments not adopting an ordinance unless it is specifically allowed under state code. f=or Virginia preservationists, this means that the Commonwealth's short enabling legislation allovrs for wide local interpretation. Subsequent additions, such as the requirement that a property be placed for sale as part of the demolition delay process, have had both a positive and negative affect. Many county attorneys have opted to conservatively interpret the state code, and they do not encourage their communities to add local rules not currently allowed because they will likely lose <j challenge in state court. Staffing & Funding One of the biggest surprises during the funding discussions came from Bratten Thomason when she mentioned that (at the time of the interview) the Texas legislature planned to cut thE; funding to its highly successful courthouse designation and restoration program. It is often stated by govern- ment officials at every level that throwing money at an issue does not help, but preservation is not photosynthesis and does not simply 'happen.' Funding is required to survey, advocate, catalog, photograph, and process. Funding is required to comply with existing preservation laws. The con- sensus among the survey participants is that the preservation community must find creative solu- tions to staffing and funding problems -leverage the talent of community non-profits, for example, or network with like-minded, but not necessarily preservation, organizations. Washington State found a creative way to provide smaller communities with professional staff-the "interlocal". A contractual arrangement between a large CLG and a small community, an interlocal designates an existing staff person in the larger CLG to act as the local staff member for the smaller community one or two days per month. The Ordinance Recommendations Again, the purpose of the survey was not intended to create a model ordinance, but rather to create a list of optimal, individual ordinance inclusions. The list below, therefore, is not intended to be all-~ encompassing. Full text can be found at Municode.com or NAPC, where indicated. Defining `Historic' Historic fabric is more than residences, churches or commercial buildings, and a community should look beyond the obvious in order to locate properties in need of protection. For example, Seattle includes properties as diverse as waterways and a community bulletin board. The terms below werE> gleaned from ordinances throughout the U.S. and compiled by the author (full text available frorri NAPC). • Archaeological resources • Building • Contributing buildings, structures, site, objects and works of art • Exterior architectural features • Historic asset • Historic district 2O NEWS from the NATIONAL ALLIANCE of PRESERVATION COMMISSIONS Gulf Coast Recovery {ity Co 5`6 ~pG NAPC Forum i 200 ~ , a • Histnrir_.landmark • Historic resource • Integrity • Materials • Noncontributing buildings, structures, sites, objects and works of art • Object • Replica • Setting • Site • Structure • Work of art Economic Hardship "...while almost all [municipal] HP programs surveyed by the NAPC have authority to review re- quests for demolition permits, less than half have the ability to review economic hardship claims and even less than half of those programs have written criteria for how economic hardship can be demonstrated. In today's litigious world, HP Commissions must acknowledge their responsibility to take into account the economic impact of a denial of an alteration or demolition permit." This text appeared in Preservation Ordinances: The Times TheyAreA-Changin'by Debbie Abele. Published by the NAPC in 2003, the survey referenced in the first sentence was completed in 1998. Another decade has gone by and the preservation community, in general, is still encumbered with weak, poorly written or nonexistent hardship clauses. The economic hardship provision utilized by the city of Liberty, Missouri was read during the survey period, and it is notable for its concise language, clear process, and the following clause (full text at Municode. com): 30-71.6(2)a. Any deterioration or damage cited to establish hardship shall not be due to the present owner's willful act, neglect or inattention to maintenance and repairs. Evidence showing that the owner or applicant failed to maintain or protect the property, or performed or permitted any acts to the detriment of the property and . this evidence maybe used as a basis to reject allegations of hardship; Enforcement "From the reign of the emperors through the rule of the popes, Rome had known no shortage of it preservation edits, proclamations, and statutes. Some of these called for death, dismemberment, f'' Ili and scourging as penalties for the destruction of historic assets."2 Death and dismemberment are harsh penalties for the loss of historic fabric, but they do speak to the need for recourse, albeit in a dramatically violent way. ,i'I Any enforcement or penalty is only as good as local government's desire or ability to enforce a planning/zoning process already in place. The text below was written by the author, is derived from a number of ordinances, and addresses the financial penalty many survey participants felt was the best form of enforcement. .I It is unlawful to construct, reconstruct, structurally alter, remodel, renovate, restore, III demolish, deface, move or maintain any historic landmark or asset within a historic I!I district in violation of the provisions of this ordinance. In addition to other remedies, i~ the -(department name)- shall be authorized to enforce this -(chapter, section, !jl etc.)- and anyone violating or failing to comply with its provisions and, upon convic- lion thereof, be fined in any daily sum not to exceed Three Hundred Dollars ($300). Each day's violation or failure to comply shall constitute a separate offence. Tax Incentives For many owners the retention of historic fabric is less important than the bottom line; they need ill the financial carrot. Codifying a tax incentive -if allowed by local or state law-is a way to improve j~ ' ;~j , ,I Nov-Dec 200 21 v Gulf Coast Recovery s 0 Fo2~08 ~ e ~ Cducation Granting a commission the power to educate the public about historic preservation is a worthy ordi- nance inclusion; however, hoping that a commission's educational committee will have the time or energy to promote community education may not accomplish the task. Codifying specifics may help some communities achieve their educational goals. The education text excerpted below was inspired by numerous national sources, and created by the author. The goal was to codify definite goals for both public and commission education. Public Education:Education is the key fo creating greater community awareness as fo the value of its historic fabric. By educating citizens in historic preservation, the design review process can be accelerated. By educating citizens and city of- ficials on the value of historic preservation to the community, an appreciation can be developed for the existing historic environment, be it architectural, archaeological, cultural, rural, ethnographic or landscape. Therefore, it will be the mandate for the -(committee name or HDC)_ to educate the public in any of the following ways. The commission and its committees are encouraged to partner with local non-profit and volunteer preservation, conservation, cultural and historic groups in order to facilitate the public education process... Staffing & Funding The inspiration for the following text came from the "Grants" page on the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission website. The text is not all-encompassing, but through their website the commission provides precedence for the inclusion of funding in an ordinance. It is recognized that funds are needed in order to create educational materials and/or programs, and to enable commission members to attend training classes. Therefore, the -(committee name or commission)- will be tasked with researching available state and non-profit grant funding opportunities in order to move These mandates forward. It is the duty of commission chair to notify the -(department director)- when addi- tional staff and/or resources are required, especially during a time of unusual volume or demand, if current staffing levels cannot adequately administer public applications and/or inquiries. It is the duty of the professional staff to notify the -(department director)- when additional staff and/or resources are required in order to meet unusual volume or demand. Conclusion What to make of all of this? Community involvement, local government support, a community's re- alistic examination of their economic situation-and an honest examination of outside threats-ap- pear to be the keys to a successful ordinance. The catch-22 comes in the form of funding-seek out non-traditional partners, leverage the interests of local groups and universities, take advantage of opportunities as they arise. In the words of legendary University of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne, "Build up your weaknesses until they become your strong points." Janine Duncan was awarded a MHP from the University of Georgia in 2007. She is currently the Campus Plan- ning Coordinator for the University's Grounds Department, managing the historic landscape sites and features on the Athens campus. k: 'The following individuals participated in the survey: Jo Antonson, Alaska Department of Natural Resources; Megan Duvall, Washington Slate CLG Coordinator; Dan Corson, Colorado CLG Coordinator; Bratten Thomason, Texas CLG Coordinator; Boyd Maher, Arkansas CLG Coordinator; Jo Ann Radetic; Missouri CLG Coordinator; Christopher Skelly, Massachusetts CLG Coordinator; Nancy Jane Baker, Memphis E- Landmarks Commission; Rolene Schliesman, Montana CLG Coordinator; Nicole Diehlmann, Maryland CLG Coordinator; Paige Pollard (Com- ~N• _ monwealth Preservation Group (Virginia), and Debbie Abele, Akros, Inc. (Arizona). ~k., 'Anthony M. Tung, Preserving the World's Greal Cities (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2001), 64. fir;; Nov-Dec 200 23 a ,,.."x~ i By Keenan Hughes i e oyees working for certified administrative center. The Rotunda redevelopment," said Melanie Kintner, the ga County, were scattered in would remain. In June, the Cleveland Plan- coali~,eion's executive director. "It's hypocrisy to ldings in downs n Cleveland. Hop- Wing Commission upheld the plans, and two tear this building down and talk about sustain- nsolidate ope tions, the county in months later the county commission awarded able development," said local architect David id $22 ion to buy two buildings the contract for interior demolition and asbestos Ellison. lid Avenue and East Ninth removal. Another group, called Taxpayers Against The tower is likely to be demolished within Waste, circulated a brochure entitled "$32 uildings ere both local landmarks. the next year. Million Down the Toilet." ler one, t ClevelandTrust Rotunda, In supporting the demolition of Breuer's d neoclassical gem designed in 1908 by Battle lines drawn tower, the Cleveland Plain Dealer argued that f . Post, a master of the BeauxArts style Preservationists were outraged. "As stewards of the small floor plates made consolidating all itectoftheNewYorkStockFxchange. the built environment, it is our community's ofthecounry'semployeesimpossible;asbestos e m it stood the ClevelandTrustTower, a 28- responsibilirytoe~surethat significant examples would require the removal, repair, and rein- story granite and concrete office tower designed ofmodern architecture like the ClevelandTrust stallation of the concrete skin; and the 1,400 in 1971 by Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer, Tower endure for future generations,"saidAlA windows would have to be replaced because whose credits include the Whitney Museum Cleveland, of their low energy efficiency. of Art in New York, UNESCO headquarters Even stronger opposition to demolition came The Cleveland controversy reflects anation- in Paris, the U.S. Department of Housing and from an unexpected source: the Cleveland Green wide debate between preservationists and green Urban Development headquarters in Washing- Building Coalition. The coalition, composed builders. Notwithstanding tl}eiralliance inthe ton, D.C.,and aseries ofpath-breaking modern of architects, contractors, and other building fight over the Cleveland Trust Tower and their houses throughout the country. industry companies dedicated to supporting mutual interest in sustainability, the two sides At first it looked as though the Cuyahoga building green in Northeast Ohio, argued that often find themselves at odds. County Commission would reuse the long- new constructionwouldbeincrediblywastefirl. On the one hand, preservationists quote vacant Trust Tower. Then, in March 2007, it The faster, greener, and far cheaper option would statistics on embodied energy-the total energy voted to spend $196 million to demolish the be to rehab the existing building, they said. required to create a building. "The greenest tower and, in its place, to erect a new LEED- "Reusing the tower is an act of sustainable building is the one that is already built," says s h, Anew _ y i green f~ Y _ .Y _.rs,~~~~~ ~~Trlnkle gg. - ,ykr_ ~ .iu 1tU.i1 i~if.~.~du U,edv'I 4~ a ~ ~ e 111 t~l ~ f ~ 1,\ 4~ fiM1 ~ 4 Z ' ~ ~ ~ 4 y` 1i s ~ - ~ conserve- ~~1 y r it T o bu d 7 he ~levelrtnd Trust ~ Ya i ~LL~ ~ ~,I - i + otunda (1908) and Tower _ ~ - - ~~q ~ ~ debate. (1971) (above). Montage: ~ ~ ~ ii Details ofBrooklyn's Ward ~ ~ ` . ,5~r dkery, to be demolished for , a parking lot. c ,:k ~ ~ F1 ad hlefante, the director ofsustainable design sustainable development mainly focuses on Trust staffers Barbara Campagna, the Graham q ~tCZuinn EvansArchitects.Accordingto research where and how to build. Lazgely ignored is the Gund architect, and Patrice Frey, director of y the NationalTrust for Historic Preservation, issue of what to do with the other 50 percent: sustainabiliry research, will lead the study. ~ ,0.000-square-foot commercial building the existing building stock. The last major U.S. study on embodied epresents the same amount of fuel energy as In fact, however, existing buildings represent energywas conducted in 1976, so preservation- ~ ~~i.6 million car miles. millionsofgallonsofembodiedfuelenergyand fists welcome the Trust's latest effort. Getting 'I' '"You're a fool or a fraud ifyou say you are an produce about 40 percent of our greenhouse the latest information on embodied energy vironmentally conscious builder and yet are gases. According to the Clinton Foundation, is crucial, says Ned Kaufman, a preservation F tuwing away historic buildings," adds Dono- the number is about 75 percent in urban areas. consultant and director of research at Rafael `an Rypkema, principal of Place Economics, The New York Office of Long Term Planning Vinoly Architects. "Without the numbers we n c~onomic development consulting firm in and Sustainabiliryestimates that buildings pro- have no case to make at all." %ashington, D.C. duce about 80 percent of the city's greenhouse Calculating the embodied energy ofv:arious Aleanwhile, the green building movement gas emissions. materials is complicated somewhat by transpor- \onrinues to stress new technologies and, as a In the real estate industry,"environmentally tationdistancesandotherlocalfactors,according ' zsu'.t • new construction. "Unlike preservation, friendly' means new buildings that meet LEED to Davis Langdon, a British consulting fimt. Still, which is stuck in the past, green building is stuck standards. Will building reuse ever regain cur- experts like Elefante conclude that commonly it flit future," says Erica Avrami, a preservation rency as a viable or more fitting alternative? The used modern materials such as steel, aluminum, consultant in New Jersey. fate of thousands ofhistoricbuildingsacross the and plastic are far more energy-intensive. than In an article that appeared in Planning last U.S. may hang in the balance. traditional building materials such as brick, aiiuary, Arthur C. Nelson, Fntc[~, of the Met- stone, and wood. Australia's Greenhouse Of- ??politan Institute at Virginia Tech, estimated PrBServatlon goes green fice calculates that aluminum contains about chat half of the buildings we will need in 2030 In June, the NadonalTrust for Historic Preserva- 80 times the amount of embodied energy as l?a~'~ not yet been built and that $30 trillion of tion announced a major research effort aimed wood. i h«i' development and infrastructure will occur at quantifying the embodied energy of existing Both construction and demolition also exact het'~ceen 2000 and 2030. In view of such fore- buildings-from mining to processing to trans- an environmental toll. According to the U.S. ,~.~sr,. it is no surprise that the dialogue about portingthemarerialstoabuildingsite.National Environmental ProtectionAgenry,,constriction ~ .-r and demolition debris accounts for about 60 the New YorkTimes, Nathan Hoyt, an azchitect percent ofnonindustrialwaste generation, with with the firm, said that he and his colleagues most coming from demolition. The demolition ~ were convinced "the tower could be integrated debris from a late 19th century brick row house ~ ~i, into an overall design for the new facility that consumes nearly the same amount of landfill would provide a modern, humane and sustain- - i space as 1.3 million aluminum cans, according ~zt able work environment." to Rypkema. ~ ~ ~ ' ~ . ~s, A rendering included in the proposal shows a ~'r Green advocates tend co focus on the energy X: towerwrappedinglasswithBreuer'shoneycomb needed to operate a building. In a recent report, ~ ~ s ~ ~tw . of concrete bazelyvisible inside. It is unlikely the Davis Langdon pointed to a study of the envi- , ire,,,. plan would pass muster with preservationists. ronmental attributes ofcars released last year to - ~ ` Still, given the challenges, it represented a cre- which the Honda Civic Hybrid and theToyota ~ alive reuse of an iconic downtown building. Prius ranked 73nd and 74th, respectively, behind The Cleveland tower contains a laundry list of manygas-guzzling SUVs. Why? Because the en ~ ~ ~ the typical preservation problems presented by ergy used in the total liferycle-the manufacrure, ~ r modernist buildings, says Campagna. As a result, i 4", and due to a eneral lack of awareness about replacement, and disposal ofenergy-intensive ~ ~ g items, including batteries and aluminum alloy F~`~U ~ ` ' ~ - their architectural merit, buildings designed by electric motors-far outweighs the gains in Euel = ; ~ ' , Y '-`~'i € modernist architects like Paul Rudolph, LM. Pei, ~ effictenry or carbon emissions. ~ ' ~ ~ ' ~ Richard Neutra, and Marcel Breuer aredropptng The same goes for buildings. The reporasays ~ 3 ` ' ~ ~ ~~"-~-d- a like flies. Significantly, the World Monuments the embodied energy of a typical new build- Uavis Brody Bond's rejected proposal Fund recentlylisted modern architecture on its ing equates to between eight and 15 years of for reuse of the Cleveldnd Trust Tower. endangered list. I operational energy. However, for a new green ~ ManyEeelthatsignificantpostwarazchitecture building, embodied energy equates to 15 to will require a new approach to preservation. ~ 30 years of operational energy. And an existing LEED system. In the past, he says, the U.S. "I think we will be altering our concept of 1 building? It's energy in the bank. Green $uilding Council has tended to showcase authenticity," says Campagna. This will likely Moreover, durable old buildings continue to new building designs over .renovations. This mean relaxing a strict adherence to historical save energy. "If you have a building that lasts result has been to understate the "eco value" of accurary and materials in things like windows 100 years, you could use 25 percent more energy building reuse; he says. while preserving the aesthetic of the original, every year and still have less lifetime energy use Underrthe current LEED system, reusing the as in Davis Brody Bond's proposal. than if you have a building that lasts 40 years,". floors, walls, and roof of an existing building Considering the amount of energy embed- says Rypkema. "And most buildings being built earns just three out of a possible 69 points-a ded in the rest of our existing buildings, some today won't last even 40 years." low allocation considering the environmental creative thinking will certainly be required to significance of embodied energy. figure out when and how to save or reryde Back in Cleveland Particularly irksome to preservationists is them. That's exactly what many Clevelanders All this applies to Cleveland's Breuer building. the fact that the USGBC grants points for re- did. A "What Would You Do With the Breuer Michael Jackson, the chiefarchitect at the Illinois rycling materials-even if they come from the Building" exhibit at Cleveland's 2007Ingenuiry Historic Preservation Agenry, who researches demolitftin ofhistoric buildings. A case in point Fest attracted over 30 submissions. embodied energy, says ClevelandTrustTower has is.Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards project, where the Dru McKeown, a Cleveland-based designer, an embodied energy of roughly 10 to 15 gallons devgloper, Forest Ciry Ratner, elected to demol- received an honorable mention award in the of gas per square foot, which, at 250,000 square ish theterra cotta-clad Ward Bakery, which had EPAs 2007 Liferyde Building Challenge. He feet, amounts to about 3.75 million gallons of been declazed eligible for the National Register proposed to use the concrete parts of Brewer's gas, or about $11 million in energy costs alone. of Historic Places. iconic facade for street furniture, bus stops, and "Demolition will result in a huge amouht of A Forest Ciry Ratner press release calls the light rail stations around Cleveland. waste," he says. demolition of the building and the reryding "Thisstrategynotonlyremovesthenecessiry ' Even putting up a slick new LEED building of -some of its materials part of the project's for the creation of a new component but also in place of the Breuer building, as Cuyahoga "sustainability efforts." recaptures the materials and energy that were County plans to do, would result in a net energy ,According to Barbara Campagna of the Na- spent originally creating the facade panel," said loss, Jackson says. "lt is virtually impossible to tionalTrust, the USGBC has acknowledged that McKeown. make the new building soenergy-efficient that the point system is skewed against preservation With the demolition of the ClevelandTrust you can compensate for the wasted embodied and has asked the Trust to lead an efl"ort to cre- Tower, the city will lose an important piece of energy," he says. This is particularly true for ate preservation metrics for the next version of its cultural heritage and, regardless of how the green buildings where about half the operational LEES, due out in two years. debris is rerycled, the equivalent ofseveralmil- energy is not building-related but is associated ~ lion gallons of gas. with equipment and appliances like photovol= At a crossroads laic cells, which are highly energy intensive to Davis Btody ~ Bond, a New York architecrure Keenan Hughes is a graduate student in historic pres- ervation at Pratt Institute in New York. manufacture. firm, submitted the lone proposal to reuse the Jackson says that preservationists are see~C- Breuer tower for county offices. It was also the ing to get more credit Eor building reuse in the least expensive ofthe five proposals. In a letter to NAPC is headed do~rin to ~ the Delta! That's right, folks: the ru- ' mors are true: Forum 2008 will be .July 10- 13 in the beautiful_NeW Orl~eanS! Big Easy Our Forum 2008 home will be the Astor Crown Plaza Rooms startin at 95 in 9 the historic French Quarter on the corner ;s ~ ~ ~ ~ of Canal and Bourbon Streets, so when ~ the day's work is done you won't have _ far to go to sample the city's abundant ~~g:, _ - night life and culture. New Orleans ~ ~ ~t~ _ - - continues to make an impressive ~ a - ~ ~ ~ comeback from the devastation of hur- ~ _ ricanes Katrina and Rita and is ready _ ' - to welcome us with open arms. k ~ Forum is the only national confer- : B , 14'~ ence dedicated to local preserva- ~ tion commissions and their issues. pQwO~~V~~~ ~ Forum 2008 will build on our first ~V ~t~-~` five Forums to provide local pres- ,J~ ervation commission members, ~ ~ ' : ~ staff, elected officials, and others . the best information and training _ ~ possible. Whether you are new - = or a seasoned practitioner of - ~ , s E,~~ = ~ ~ ~ many years, from a tiny town or ~ ~ a big city, commission member t ~ or staff, Forum is onE: confer- ti, ence where you are sure to come away satis- fied. The working roundtables, breakout sessions, workshops, tours, and network building you will find at Forum all come together to make it the best conference your commission could attend, but the most fun as well. ~ - ~ e 11 s e e o~ ~ n ~~:a ]I - 5ej r rOO~ L°Yo e~ ~ wpb at t~~e N Ur ~ sans for he . _ S. q t k ~t~ ,,°a pc ~ ~ 8 U V~, , ~ pC _ ~ . ' Ana , , ~ i~~ ~ ~ ~ omeac. ~.~,.r~ , rt ~ s ~ s ~2~~xxx xr x m~ y.~ y„, - EarlyNRegistrafi©n: ~x ~ ~~~,-.~-~~.~,s;....~..,~.m•-=-~.- - , NAPC Members: $~35 - , . ~~~~-a.,a_~,- - - ~y Non-members: $790 r ~ _ 624-626 Marine Street Use Review Application Historic Preservation Comments The vernacular frame house located at 624 Marine Strcct was constructed about 1900 and has been identified as a potential local historic landmark. Likewise, the c. 1900 front gable house with Queen Anne porch detailing at 626 Marine Street, is also eligible for historic landmark designation. Both of these buildings are located in, and potentially contributing to, the identified expanded l iighland Lawn Historic District. For more information regarding this matter, please call .lames Hewat at 303.441.3207.