“The greenest building is the one that’s already built.” -carl elefante, FAIA, FAPT
To help make the case for the greening of historic buildings, below is a curated list of resources to support the design and reuse and existing and heritage structures.
SUGGEST ANOTHER Resource HERE.
Databases & Calculators
Life Cycle Assessment
Software tools
Databases
Conversations about sustainable design trend disproportionately towards operational efficiency; however, amidst increasing goals of zero net carbon, it is critical to account for the environmental impacts of every stage of a building's life, including embodied value and end of life costs. Life Cycle Assessment is the best tool for quantifying the benefits of building reuse by providing a cradle to grave analysis of a building's environmental impacts. While an increasing number of studies on this topic have been performed, there remains a lack of clarity among the architecture and preservation community about why, when, and how to use LCA. This project aims to provide an educational and practical tool to disseminate information about LCA and empower practitioners to apply the tool on preservation and renovation projects.
Athena Impact Calculator for Buildings | Developer: Athena Sustainable Materials Institute in collaboration with Morrison Hershfield
Tally | Developer: KT Innovations, thinkstep, Autodesk
One-Click LCA | Developer: Bionova Ltd
Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3) | Developer: Building Transparency
Embodied Carbon Calculator for Concrete | Developer: Circular Ecology
Online Sustainable Conservation Assistance Resource (OSCAR) | Developer: Association for Preservation Technology, International
Additional Resources
Circular Ecology | Net Zero Carbon Buildings
Carbon Leadership Forum, University of Washington