After decommissioning or abandoning sustainable buildings, adaptive reuse can be the perfect way to breathe new life into an old building. In doing so, we can conserve resources and historical value. Whether for environmental reasons, land availability, or a desire to preserve a historic landmark, countless architectural firms worldwide are turning to adaptive reuse to solve some of the built environment's modern problems. They give old structures a new, revitalized form.
Awards and standards for sustainable buildings are mostly required by professional architectural organizations. However, they often only last on opening day and do not take into account a building's daily energy consumption. If the current format is unlikely to change, the question becomes, how can we rethink the way sustainability means in architecture today? The first step might be to forego the rewards of purpose-built architecture and instead look at the buildings we already have.
At the first conference on the global environment in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, three facts became clear: the Earth has indeed warmed; fossil fuels were no longer a viable source of energy; The built environment would have to adapt to this new reality. An essay entitled “Architecture for a Contingent Environment” was also published this year. This suggests that architects join forces with naturalists and conservationists to address this situation.
Heritage preservationists then suggested that the profession incorporate the adaptive reuse of historic buildings into its sustainability strategies. This is because reuse uses up such wasted energy in new buildings, which creates less waste. In their initial guidelines, the engineers formulating LEED (low-energy electron diffraction) criteria ignored existing sustainable buildings altogether. Adaptive reuse was not on the radar until recently. This huge blind spot has lingered in the AE profession, although not among conservationists in the global community.
New perspectives for old sustainable buildings
In 1990, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), with extensive support from its members, established its Committee on Environmental Issues (COTE). However, climate change remained a secondary concern for most architects for more than a decade. But AIA members have followed the recent announcement from climate scientists. This suggests that the Earth is likely to warm so much that sea levels will rise and species will disappear.
As announced in the November issue of the organization's official magazine, AIA members now have a set of metrics to measure green performance for sustainable buildings. Prices for buildings that meet these standards are equated with the LEED criteria in this respect. A splashy cover story made it clear that the COTE Top Ten awards would feature prominently in subsequent issues of the magazine.
With that in mind, it's worth looking at these honorees more objectively than the cheerleaders paid by the AIA to spread their messages. Additionally, there are reasons for leading advocacy groups in this industry to become more aggressive. So this is pushing government officials to support the infrastructure, energy and sustainability policies that will directly confront this crisis.
Opportunities for energy efficiency
The good news is that some of the award winners were intended for adaptive reuse of existing buildings rather than new construction. For example, a school, a brewery and a museum are among the old building structures that have been given a new “life” through reuse or modernized systems. There was even an award for an energy-saving retrofit of the historic Renwick Gallery in Washington. They are such Victorian and sustainable buildings with wonderful materials but serious challenges with any HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) retrofit. Ductwork and high-tech heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are nothing new, but for a historic structure it can make all the difference.
According to the tables that evaluated ten projects, the adaptive reuse systems could help save energy and promote sustainability. One puzzling case, however, was Kieran Timberlake's studio in the former Ortlieb's Brewery in Philadelphia. It is a very popular example of using sensor technology to maximize energy savings through passive ventilation. One photo sent the message that smartly built and renovated sustainable buildings could do things that old, unrenovated versions couldn't offer.
In the 70s, tons of air conditioners were the only means of providing comfort to users. So nothing beats a challenge to replace these outdated settings when it comes to thermal comfort. This allows consumers to use Freon-cooled air instead of natural fresh breezes. Many historic buildings also do this quite effectively without mechanical fans, relying on convection and using roof louvers or monitors.
Climatic conditions
However, it makes no sense to subject ignorant employees to an experiment that looks foolhardy from the standpoint of tenth grade physics. The heat gain under any glass roof will keep plants happy, but people also increase temperatures through constant energy use. Adding lots of sensors into space promised to tell researchers nothing that a thermometer couldn't.
In fact, a summer under the sun was uncomfortable for the staff, although there was hope that opening and closing roof vents would regulate temperature and humidity. Shorts and T-shirts didn't help either. After three years and hundreds of staff surveys, school leaders admitted their ventilation system was failing and installed air conditioning upstairs. A double system allows natural ventilation in temperate weather, but not on hot summer days. Apparently the developers looked at old sustainable buildings in the same way as their new designs. They want to prove that new technologies will always outperform the proven solutions of previous designers.
In fact, many projects in the first “top ten” performed modestly even under the basic criteria set. Multi-family housing, such as Australian Passive Houses, is lying empty in many cities and requires innovative adaptive reuse solutions. Are a few sustainable buildings better than dozens of reused historic structures with improved thermal performance in their windows, walls and roofs? Low-tech improvements such as organic gardens and rainwater cisterns provided a new theme for educational programs.
Innovative solutions
The British proposed in 2008 that only 15% of global construction should be used for new projects before 2050, with the rest going to the reuse and energy-saving renovation of existing buildings. However, the AIA's lobbying is vague about the benefits of this type of sustainability and ignores the positive impact of such investments in Europe and Asia.
So it's time for architects to develop a clear agenda on infrastructure and reuse. Just as preservationists should devote themselves to reuse rather than engaging in pure restoration work, architects should focus their attention on additions and renovations rather than praising high-tech green machines. To this end, we have compiled a list of such creative, adaptive projects below. Each uses an ancient structure to create a revitalized form in its own way.
The Jaegersborg Water Tower in Copenhagen
In 2004, Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter ApS won the competition to convert the Jaegersborg Water Tower into a mixed-use building. The building now houses students who occupy the upper floors. Each unit includes a prominent crystalline structure that provides additional natural light and city views.
House of Vans in London
The House of Vans in London is housed in the 150-year-old brick arches of the railway lines leaving Waterloo Station. It is a creative venue for vans and skateboard lovers. This also houses an art gallery, creative spaces, a screening room and a live cinema. There's also a music venue, a cafe, several bars and a three-level indoor skate parkmade of concrete.
Renovation of old residential buildings in Venice
This project is based on the existing urban fabric of the Venetian island of Murano and revitalizes a former industrial site with two new residential complexes in a disused factory. The new residential complexes with units will be built in the factory, parts of which will be retained. The project for the residential units relates to the existing urban fabric of the region.
Reuse old war bunkers
As part of an advertising campaign for the firm “Famous”, the architects transformed a run-down bunker in the Netherlands into a holiday home for two families. This is inspired by Le Corbusier's “Le Cabanon”. Due to the success of the renovation, it was decided to keep the bunker permanently open for accommodation. The half-buried bunker is located on the grounds of Fort Vuren in the Netherlands in a green setting. The building was protected and had to be addressed with respect. The Dutch Monuments Commission took the project to heart and supported it.
Professional cooking school in an ancient slaughterhouse
The project involves adapting an old slaughterhouse built in the 19th century into a professional cooking school. In this example, the architects created new, sustainable buildings from the old building. In these, the old building, under a new ceramic roof, uses various other materials that are reminiscent of the construction's origins. Medina is a historic city in the hills of Cadiz in Spain. The houses there are known for their whitewashed walls and ceramic roofs.
Example of green sustainable buildings from the USA
Based on the relationship between design and sustainability, in this case the architectural firm used a 115-year-old former haberdashery. The team created over 10,000 square meters of mixed-use commercial space using sustainable technologies such as a green roof and a rainwater collection system. Solar panels and geothermal wells are also part of the project.
