Sustainable preservation

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In historic preservation, sustainable preservation is the idea that preservation has tangible ecological benefits, on the basis that the most sustainable building is one that is already built. Historic buildings can have advantages over new construction with their often central location, historic building materials, and unique characteristics of craftsmanship. Arguing for these connections is at least partially an outgrowth of the green building movement with its emphasis on new construction. Sustainable preservation borrows many of the same principles of sustainable architecture, though is unique by focusing on older buildings versus new construction. The term "sustainable preservation" is also utilized to refer to the preservation of global heritage, archaeological and historic sites through the creation of economically sustainable businesses which support such preservation, such as the Sustainable Preservation Initiative and the Global Heritage Fund.

Historic preservation preservation of items of historical significance

Historic preservation (US), heritage preservation or heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavour that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. This term refers specifically to the preservation of the built environment, and not to preservation of, for example, primeval forests or wilderness.

Sustainable architecture

Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space and the ecosystem at large. Sustainable architecture uses a conscious approach to energy and ecological conservation in the design of the built environment.

The Sustainable Preservation Initiative (SPI) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving the world's cultural heritage by providing transformative and sustainable economic opportunities to local communities. SPI is focused on countries in the developing world, more particularly those that are not part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as well as Mexico, Greece and Turkey. SPI seeks to encourage and develop sustainable economic development in the communities surrounding archaeological sites by aiding in the development of locally owned businesses that maximize the spending of dollars in these communities and regions. Some manufacturing industries are aided as well, including local artisans. SPI's projects provide a two-for-the-price-of-one benefit: they create viable economic opportunities for the local residents while saving archaeological sites for future generations to study and enjoy.

Contents

History

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has popularized sustainability initiatives since their founding in 1993. Their LEED certification allowed professionals to develop expertise in the field of green building. The LEED Green Building Rating System with benchmarks was established in 2000.

U.S. Green Building Council organization

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems and its annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. USGBC was one of eight national councils that helped found the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC). The current president and CEO is Mahesh Ramanujam who acquired this role in January 2017 after co-founder Rick Fedrizzi.

The Association for Preservation Technology International formed a "Sustainable Preservation Committee" in 2004 to provide an arena for discussion, and educate on the relationship between historic preservation. [1] Among early discussions were a workshop in Halifax, held in 2005. This was followed a workshop on "Greenbuild & LEED for Historic Building" in November 2006. The APTI annual conference in Montreal from October 22–26, 2008, also included a symposium on sustainable heritage conservation.

The Association for Preservation Technology International (APT) is a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary, membership organization dedicated to promoting the best technology for conserving and preserving historic structures and their settings. Founded in 1968 by preservationists from Canada and the United States, it now has 1,500 members from 30 countries, with headquarters in Springfield, Illinois. APT’s activities include conferences, training and education programs, and publications on the technical aspects of preservation.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation also included Sustainability among several issues the Trust works on. The Trust's position statement on sustainability is: [2]

Historic preservation can – and should – be an important component of any effort to promote sustainable development. The conservation and improvement of our existing built resources, including re-use of historic and older buildings, greening the existing building stock, and reinvestment in older and historic communities, is crucial to combating climate change.

National Trust President Richard Moe, addressed the USGBC on November 20, 2008. His speech laid out several principles in an effort to find common ground: [3]

  1. Promote a culture of reuse
  2. Reinvest at a Community Scale
  3. Value the Lessons of Heritage Buildings and Communities
  4. Make Use of the Economic Advantages of Reuse, Reinvestment and Retrofits
  5. Re-imagine Historic Preservation Policies and Practices as They Relate to Sustainability
  6. Take Immediate and Decisive Action

The Kresge Foundation led a Green Building Initiative from 2003 to May 29, 2009. The initiative provided planning grants for nonprofit organizations that went on to build green buildings. The foundation also demonstrated their commitment to sustainability initiatives through construction of a green headquarters in Troy, Michigan. This building incorporated a historic building on the site with new construction. These facilities were completed in 2006, and in 2008 received the Platinum-level rating from the USGBC. [4]

The Kresge Foundation is a U.S. philanthropic private foundation headquartered in Troy, Michigan. The foundation works to expand opportunities in America’s cities through grantmaking and investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services and community development efforts.

Notable Projects

Related Research Articles

National Trust for Historic Preservation US nonprofit organization for historic preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support the preservation of America’s diverse historic buildings, neighborhoods, and heritage through its programs, resources, and advocacy.

Green building architecture designed to minimize environmental and resource impact

Green building refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planning to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. This requires close cooperation of the contractor, the architects, the engineers, and the client at all project stages. The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard for green building design

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is one of the most popular green building certification programs used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods that aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.

Canada Green Building Council

The Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) was created in 2003 to further the expansion of green building in Canada. Prior to the formation of the Council, Canada had participated in the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) through British Columbia's membership in the USGBC's Cascadia Chapter.

Robert K. Watson American businessman

Robert "Rob" Watson, is a market transformation expert, international leader in the green building movement and CEO and Chief Scientist of The ECON Group. He founded the LEED Green Building Rating System of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993 and was its Founding Chairman until 2006.

The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is a North American 'forest certification standard' and program of SFI Inc., a non-profit organization. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative is the world’s largest single forest certification standard by area.The SFI is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario Canada and Washington D.C. USA.

Childrens Museum of Pittsburgh non-profit organisation in the USA

The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is a hands-on interactive children's museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Center neighborhood in Pittsburgh's Northside.

Wainwright Bank was a nationally recognized socially progressive bank in Boston, lauded as a "rebel with a cause making its reputation as a champion of social-justice causes, throwing its support behind everything from the gay-rights movement and affordable housing initiatives to immigration reform and the anti-Iraq war movement." There are 12 branch offices in Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Watertown and Somerville. The current president is Jan A. Miller. Wainwright has made community development, affordable housing, civil and human rights, and other social issues a prominent focus of its activities and has a documented history of leadership in supporting social justice efforts. Wainwright was featured in three recent books on this topic: in 2005, Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism by Patrician Aburdene; in 2006, named as a “truly responsible and highly profitable firm that is changing business now” in The High Purpose Company by Christine Arena ; and in 2008 in the Soul of a Leader by Margaret Benefiel PhD, CEO of Executive Soul and a teacher of spirituality and leadership at Andover Newton Theological School.

Green library

A green library is designed to minimize negative impact on the natural environment and maximize indoor environmental quality by means of careful site selection, use of natural construction materials and biodegradable products, conservation of resources, and responsible waste disposal. In new construction and library renovation, sustainability is increasingly achieved through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a rating system developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

A green museum is a museum that incorporates concepts of sustainability into its operations, programming, and facility. Many green museums, but not all, use their collections to produce exhibitions, events, classes, and other programming to educate the public about the natural environment. Many, but not all, green museums reside in a building featuring sustainable architecture and technology. Green museums interpret their own sustainable practices and green design to present a model of behavior.

This article provides examples of Green Building programs in the United States. These programs span the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and all have the goal of increasing energy efficiency and the sustainability of the built environment.

Green Exchange

The Green Exchange is a sustainable and green retail and office development project in the Logan Square community area of Chicago, Illinois that is designed to house eco-friendly businesses and organizations. Developers of the building have been awarded LEED Platinum status for their rehabilitation of a historic landmark four-story manufacturing facility originally built in 1914. The retail and office space is open to the public and is intended to serve as an important Midwest destination for green consumers.

Green building on college campuses is the purposeful construction of buildings on college campuses that decreases resource usage in both the building process and also the future use of the building. The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions, energy use, and water use, while creating an atmosphere where students can be healthy and learn. Universities across the country are building to green standards set forth by the USGBC, United States Green Building Council. The USGBC is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed and built. This organization created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, which is a certification process that provides verification that a building is environmentally sustainable. In the United States, commercial and residential buildings account for 70 percent of the electricity use and over 38 percent of CO2 emissions. Because of these huge statistics regarding resource usage and emissions, the room for more efficient building practices is dramatic. Since college campuses are where the world's future leaders are being taught, colleges are choosing to construct new buildings to green standards in order to promote environmental stewardship to their students. Colleges across the United States have taken leading roles in the construction of green building in order to reduce resource consumption, save money in the long run, and instill the importance on environmental sustainability on their students.It is a better way to motivate new generation to live a sustainable life.

The LEED Professional Exams are administered by the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) for professionals seeking to earn credentials and certificates. The exams test knowledge based on the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating Systems.

Bassetti Architects

Bassetti Architects is an architectural firm based in Seattle, Washington with a second office in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1947, the firm has newly designed or substantially renovated several well-known Seattle landmarks and many schools in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area. This includes several buildings at the Pike Place Market, the Jackson Federal Building, Seattle City Hall, the Seattle Aquarium, Franklin High School, Raisbeck Aviation High School, Roosevelt High School, and Stadium High School. The firm's work has been awarded local, national, and international awards.

LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND), where "LEED" stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a United States-based rating system that integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into a national system for neighborhood design. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development's location and design meet accepted high levels of environmentally responsible, sustainable development.

The Green Parking Council (GPC), a nonprofit organization and affiliate of the International Parking Institute provided leadership and oversight for the green conversion of parking facilities to sustainable, environmentally responsible assets. GPC expanded green parking practices and promoted sustainable urban mobility through its Certified Green Garage rating system. The Certified Green Garage rating system was acquired by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and is administered by the Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the certification arm of the USGBC. Rebranded and launched as the Parksmart rating system, Parksmart is now aligned with the full suite of LEED programs under the USGBC organization.

GreenCE is an online platform that educates architects, engineers, interior designers, and contractors. The organization is a US Green Building Council (USGBC) Education Partner. The USGBC developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system, the world's most utilized green building rating system. GreenCE is also an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Education Provider. It develops and delivers continuing education via online courses, webinars, and live classroom events. GreenCE is a partner with the Health Product Declaration Collaborative and is one of only seven companies in the world to help develop third party verification tools for the building product declaration. GreenCE is based in San Antonio, TX and has an office in the Portland, OR dedicated to LEED certification education.

References

  1. ↑ "Technical Committees". Association for Preservation Technology International. 2009-05-31.
  2. ↑ "Historic Preservation & Sustainability". National Trust for Historic Preservation. 2009-05-31.
  3. ↑ "Sustainability Speeches". National Trust for Historic Preservation. 2009-05-31.
  4. ↑ "Our Green Headquarters". The Kresge Foundation. 2009-05-31.
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