September 9, 2010

Column

Sustainability, heritage buildings hard to combine

An argument can be made that the inclusion of sustainability in building design has raised the bar for successful architecture.

When it comes to carbon emissions, a groundswell of architects, engineers, contractors and building scientists around the world are committed to the notion that all buildings eventually should have a zero energy footprint. The movement is called the 2030 Challenge.

The manufacture, fabrication and transportation footprint of our buildings in the future will march on, undoubtedly mirroring the growing movement to promote consuming locally grown food.

The word sustainability, however, appears to be completely misused and misunderstood. Sustainable is a word used everywhere with nearly as many meanings as the number of people who use it.

Sustainable architecture usually describes easily maintained buildings that harvest or produce the energy they consume.

Sustaining heritage architecture may mean preserving it for an eternity, regardless of the energy costs.

There are really very few sustainable buildings in Canada, and the idea of one is possibly oxy-moronic. Sustainable buildings are expected to be habitable, so turning off the heat is usually not considered.

When you turn off the heating system and cut the electrical service to a historically significant building, you may achieve temporary sustainability, but at great risk to the building. Upgrading and adding insulation to a building assembly designed for none also puts the building at substantial risk.

Covering a historically significant building with solar collectors or installing wind turbines in its exquisite gardens can only be performed with great respect and skill, if at all.

All of the possible technological solutions to conserve energy in a building must be considered, and the financial implications of energy sustainability are likely to be astronomical. When energy costs are equally astronomical, so will be the incentive for sustainability.

The challenges of transforming and upgrading a heritage building to perform in a truly sustainable manner are monumental.

No single magical or technological solution is likely to solve the challenge.

Upgrades to thermal efficiency of windows, doors, walls and roof assemblies as well as efficient electrical, lighting, heating and heat recovery systems can reduce but not eliminate energy consumption.

In reality, the sensible or realistic solution may be to develop efficient and sustainable energy grid systems that supply energy to groups of buildings. The energy performance of new buildings will be critical to help balance the complexity and expense of developing sustainable energy supplies.

Perhaps the expense of upgrading culturally significant existing buildings should also be shared in the development of new buildings. New buildings may need to generate more energy than they need so that they contribute to the energy requirements of the historical buildings that help define the value of our society.

Transforming elegant and important heritage buildings into sustainable architecture is both a gift and a burden given to us by skilled and brilliant visionaries.

The gifts of today’s architectural masterworks will no doubt be an obligation to future generations of architects. Architects, engineers, contractors and building scientists around the world must explore the solutions to transform our cultural heritage into sustainable architecture.

Our inability may lead to an unexpected form of sustainable use of our most important cultural icons, as they cease to provide society with the delight for which they were intended and are no longer a part of the architecture of the everyday.

Graham Murfitt is Architecture Canada/RAIC practice specialist

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