The Greenest Building:
Quantifying The Environmental
Value of Building Reuse
23 OCTOBER 2012
PATRICE FREY, DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY, NTHP
The National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership,
education, advocacy and resources to help people save the places
that matter to them.
Union Station, Washington DC
Nantucket Lightship, Massachusetts
© National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2012
 PGL Works to…
Reduce demolitions
and improve building
performance through
research, policy
development, and
technical/financial
tools.
Wicker Park, Chicago
Overview
I. Building Reuse: Why does it matter?
II. Understanding Demolition Trends in
Chicago
III. Encouraging Building Reuse
I. Building Reuse: Why does it matter?
U.S. Energy Use by Sector
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
© National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2012.
Value of Old Buildings: Green Features
Energy Performance of Commercial Buildings (non malls):
Date Built
Btu/sq. ft
Before 1920
80,127
1920 – 1945
90,234
1946 – 1959
80,198
1960 – 1969
90,976
1970 – 1979
94,968
1980 – 1989
100,077
1990 – 1999
88,834
2000 – 2003
79,703
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2003 Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey
Older Buildings and Energy Use
Source EUI (annual kbtu/sq ft)
Median Energy Use Per Sq Ft By Building Type and Age Group
Multi-family
Office
Year Built
®NY University/ City of New York Data
Value of Old Buildings: Green Features
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2005 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
Beyond Building Operations:
Rethinking Building Impacts from a
Whole Life Cycle Perspective
Buildings and Resource Use
Natural Gas Distribution
3%
Vehicle Bodies
2%
Hospitals
2%
Meat Packing
1%
Fluid Milk
1%
Eating & Drinking Places
3%
Retail Trade
3%
Maintenance
4%
Petrol Refining
5%
New Construction
49%
Electric Services
5%
Real Estate
Mngmt
5%
New additions &
alterations
6%
Owner OccupiedDwellings
11%
Materials, Products and Services by Resource Use
US EPA –
Sustainable
Materials
Management: The
Road Ahead (EPA
June 2009)
U.S. Demolition Projections
2005−2030
27% Demolished
73% Retained
Source: Brookings Institution
Chicago Demolitions
Area Demolished 2004-2012:
• 50 Million Sq Feet
• Approx 1.8 Sq Miles
•
530 Average City Blocks
•
2,353,000 Tons of Debris
Chicago, Illinois
Source: Preservation Green Lab
Previous Research: Residential
It takes between 35−50 years for a
new, green home to recover the
carbon expended during the
construction process.
−Empty Homes Agency, UK, 2008
Previous Research: Institutional
• 2006 study compared
new construction vs.
renovation
• Approx. 38 years for
new, energy efficient
building to recover the
carbon expended during
the construction process
Buchanan Building Complex, University of British Columbia.
Courtesy Martin Nielsen Busby, Perkins & Will
“The Greenest Building” Report
Guiding Questions
•
Under what conditions is building
reuse environmentally preferable
to demolition and new
construction?
•
Do benefits differ by region and
building type?
•
Are there significant
opportunities to reduce near
term carbon emissions by
reusing buildings rather than
constructing anew?
Case Study Buildings
Single-family
residential
Multifamily
residential
Commercial
Office
Urban village
mixed-use
Elementary
schools
© National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2012.
Lifecycle Stages
© National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2012.
Life Cycle Impact Assessment
• Non-renewable energy
• Mineral extraction
Resources
Ecosystem
quality
• Aquatic ecotoxicity
• Land occupation
• Terrestrial
acidification &
nutrification
• Terrestrial ecotoxicity
IMPACT2002+
Climate
Change
Human
health
• Human toxicity
• Ionising radiation
• Ozone layer
depletion
• Photochemical
oxidation
• Respiratory effects
Climate Regions
Portland
(Mild Climate)
Chicago
(Cold Climate)
Phoenix
(Hot/Dry Climate)
Atlanta
(Hot/Humid Climate)
Findings: Reuse Matters
Building reuse almost always yields fewer environmental
impacts than new construction when comparing buildings of similar size
and functionality.
© National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2012.
Findings: Reuse Matters
Commercial Office: Climate Change Impacts
NC = New
Construction
RR = Reuse and
Retrofit
Findings: Reuse Matters
Commercial Office, Portland: Climate Change Impacts
Findings: Reuse Matters
It can take between 10 to 80 years for a new energy
efficient building to overcome, through efficient
operations, the climate change impacts created by its
construction.
Findings: Reuse Matters
The majority of building types in different climates will take
between 20-30 years to compensate for the initial carbon
impacts from construction.
Findings: Reuse Matters
A single family home will take between 38-50
years to compensate for the initial carbon impacts
from construction.
Project7ten - California (pending LEED Platinum); Inhabitat.com
Findings: Scale Matters
© National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2012.
Findings: Design Matters
The quantity and type
of materials used in a
building renovation can
reduce, or even negate,
the environmental
benefits of reuse when
compared to new
construction.
.
Findings: Design Matters
Even retrofitting an existing building has an upfront carbon
impact – it typically 3-8 years to “recover” impacts.
Portland Armory Building; Renovated to LEED-Platinum
Image: Chris Yunker/Flickr
II.
Understanding Demolition Trends in Chicago
Demolitions in Chicago: The Landscape
2004-2012
Demolitions of buildings:
8,714
New construction of buildings:
13,334
New construction where a
demolition had occurred
between 9/04 and 6/12:
2,857
Wicker Park, Chicago
Demolitions in Chicago
2004-2102
North Side
Building Demolition: 55%
Land Area: 41% of total
South Side
Building Demolition: 45%
Land Area: 59% of total
Chicago
New Construction
2004-2012
North Side building
replacement rate: 51%
South Side building
replacement rate: 11%
Demolitions in Chicago
- Historic Districts
2004-2012
Only 72
demolition
permits
were
issued
within
landmark
districts
but 1,553
demolitions
occurred
within a
quarter
mile of
historic
districts
Demolitions in Chicago
- TIF Districts
2004-2012
2,912 or
33% of all
demolitions
occurred
within TIF
districts
Building Types Demolished
Building Types Constructed
Building Age
Demolition &
Population Growth
Initial Findings
• Significant differences between demolition patterns on the
North and South sides of the city
- Strong market/weak market
• 33% of all demolitions are occurring within TIF districts
- TIF reform to encourage reuse?
• Landmark districts are doing a good job of protecting
buildings
- Need for better reuse incentives/protection on edge of
districts
Initial Findings (cont.)
• Single family homes are particularly threatened
• Buildings built between 1890 and 1910 appear
more vulnerable to demolitions than others
• Between 2004 and 2012, we don’t see
demolitions accommodating greater density in
areas with population growth
III. Encouraging Reuse
Reuse: Expanding the Planner’s Toolbox
• Conventional Preservation
Strategies
• Landmarking/districting
• Strategies for Promoting
Older Building Conservation
• Rightsizing parking
• Conservation districts
• Next-Generation Tools for
Protecting Older Buildings
• Energy Codes
• District strategies
Tipping the Scales in Favor of Reuse:
The Challenges
• Architects –prefer blank canvas
• Industry/economy aligned behind new
construction
• Economics of reuse
• Policy/Regulatory disincentives
• Green Builders? Environmentalists?
Partnership for Building Reuse
• What are the market and
policy barriers to reuse?
• How do these vary by
city/location?
• What incentives are needed
to increase reuse?
Abandoned Building in Louisville, KY
Reducing Demolitions
Partnership for Building Reuse – LA
Reducing Demolitions
& Increasing Retrofits
• Pioneering new energy
code based on flexibility
and measurement
• Delivering retrofit
solutions to smaller
commercial buildings
• Identifying financing
sources for green retrofits
Seattle Space Needle
Source: Flickr
Thank you!
For more information….
PFrey@savingplaces.org
www.preservationnation.org/greenlab
@presgreenlab
Receive our weekly Sustainability/Preservation
news roundup: rbowdon@savingplaces.org
Test Conditions
© National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2012.
Test Conditions
Commercial Office Example: Portland
Base Case
Advanced Case
kBTU/sf/yr
70
49
Materials Inputs
RR/NC
with EEMs
RR/NC
with additional EEMs