Sustainability, Preservation, and Reuse

When we think of green building, we tend to picture new construction, but as Robert A. Young argues, the greenest building is often the one that has already been built. In Stewardship of the Built Environment: Sustainability, Preservation, and Reuse, he shows how rehabilitating and reusing existing structures holds untapped potential for achieving sustainable communities.

Young argues that green architecture’s  predominant focus on new construction has ignored unintended side-effects  like “green sprawl” neighborhoods of energy-saving but car-reliant houses, as well as the waste produced by tearing down buildings to start afresh. In contrast, he describes how historic preservation in the United States is an important, yet overlooked, sustainable design strategy. In fact, many buildings that date to the 1920s or earlier rival new buildings in energy savings, making use of “innovations” like daylighting, thermal mass, and passive ventilation. Only after World War II, Young says, did we stray from sustainable building techniques.

With examples from Salt Lake City, UT; Lansing, MI; St. Louis, MO; and others, he examines the social, environmental, and economic benefits of preservation—from the community-building benefits of reusing existing buildings to financial incentives available for rehabilitation. Young concludes with insights into the future of reusing buildings as a sustainability strategy.

The book also includes several informative appendices, including a glossary of key terms and acronyms and recommendations for further reading. Over the course of the book, readers will become familiar with essential terminology; sustainability and historic preservation metrics; government oversight processes; and opportunities for smart growth afforded by rehabilitation.

Young is a clear-voiced advocate for what we can gain by turning to the past. From reducing the feeling of placelessness to saving natural resources and money, he has a keen appreciation for historic preservation, and in Stewardship of the Built Environment he has created a helpful and accessible manual to the field for professionals, students, and laypeople alike.

Robert A. Young is Professor of Architecture and Director of the Historic Preservation Program at the University of Utah College of Architecture and Planning and is a LEED accredited professional engineer.