The high-performance retrofit of an existing building is more difficult than building new because the structural system, orientation, and massing—the first tools in the architect’s kit—have already been used.
Moreover, the deep affection often associated with existing structures that possess cultural and historic significance presents even more resistance to high-performance design—the fear that the process will require massive modification of “untouchable” community assets.
Yet this critical segment of the built environment represents a vast reservoir of sustainable potential and carries with it our society’s multi-generational heritage.
After reading this article, you should be able to:
+ Assess the sustainable potentials and limitations of an existing building of historic/cultural significance.
+ Prioritize the overall active and passive design strategies within the physical limitations and the historic/community values of a given setting.
+ Discuss a daylighting strategy that combines the use of direct and diffuse daylight and thermal loading attuned to functional need.
+ Anticipate the future life of the building in transition to sustainability and generate an “anticipatory” design to support the implementation of that vision.
TAKE THIS FREE AIA COURSE AT BDCUNIVERSITY.COM
Related Stories
| Mar 11, 2011
Holiday Inn reworked for Downtown Disney Resort
The Orlando, Fla., office of VOA Associates completed a comprehensive interior and exterior renovation of the 14-story Holiday Inn in the Downtown Disney Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The $25 million project involved rehabbing the hotel’s 332 guest rooms, atrium, swimming pool, restaurant, fitness center, and administrative spaces.
| Mar 11, 2011
Blockbuster remodel transforms Omaha video store into a bank
A former Hollywood Video store in Omaha, Neb., was renovated and repurposed as the SAC Federal Credit Union, Ames Branch. Architects at Leo A Daly transformed the outdated 5,000-sf retail space into a modern facility by wrapping the exterior in poplar siding and adding a new glass storefront that floods the interior with natural light.
| Mar 11, 2011
Historic McKim Mead White facility restored at Columbia University
Faculty House, a 1923 McKim Mead White building on Columbia University’s East Campus, could no longer support the school’s needs, so the historic 38,000-sf building was transformed into a modern faculty dining room, graduate student meeting center, and event space for visiting lecturers, large banquets, and alumni organizations.
| Feb 15, 2011
Iconic TWA terminal may reopen as a boutique hotel
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey hopes to squeeze a hotel with about 150 rooms in the space between the old TWA terminal and the new JetBlue building. The old TWA terminal would serve as an entry to the hotel and hotel lobby, which would also contain restaurants and shops.
