August 2011 » book review

Our Existing Buildings

Sustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings
Jean Carroon, FAIA; foreword by Richard Moe
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ; 2010
401 pages; hard bound; b&w photos and illustrations; $75
ISBN 978-0-470-16911-7

Reviewed by Ilene R. Tyler, FAIA, FAPT, LEED AP

Although much has been written about sustainability and green design, Sustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings, by Jean Carroon, FAIA, stands out as a major contribution because it hammers home the importance of green design by using case studies that involve existing historic buildings. Describing completed projects and listing consistent data for each building makes the information easily accessible as an array of great ideas for clients and building owners. The case studies are based on success, not speculation, and, even though the costs for greening each project are not included, so much information is provided with each case study that its credibility is firmly established.

The author speaks from experience and with authority. As the leader in a firm known for both sustainability and preservation work – Goody Clancy of Boston, MA – Jean Carron, FAIA, has applied sustainable design technology in her work on numerous historic buildings, and directed the reuse and preservation of many buildings of national importance. Notable examples of her work include the restoration and expansion of H.H. Richardson's Trinity Church in Boston and the renovation of St. Elisabeth's West Campus in Washington, DC.

In addition, she has been a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Sustainability Coalition and the Advisory Group of the AIA Historic Resources Committee. She was the keynote speaker at the July, 2011, Traditional Building Conference in her hometown of Boston, and has been a featured speaker at conferences all across the country.

Most literature on the topic of sustainability addresses the general issues relevant to new construction and planning. The same publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., offers dozens of titles on the topic of sustainability and green design. Clearly, this publisher is a leader in expanding the knowledge base and offering resources on this topic. Jean Carroon's book is an indication that sustainability is expanding solidly into the field of historic preservation and traditional building design.

The book is logically organized into three parts with a total of ten chapters, each with a batch of case studies associated with the theme of that chapter. In addition, extensive endnotes identify sources and quotes used in each chapter, so it is easy to find backup information for material covered under each theme. However, there is no overall bibliography, and it is sometimes difficult to find a source if you can't remember in which chapter it was referenced. The index helps direct you to a source, but just because a book is referenced in the text or an author's name is mentioned in the index, doesn't automatically give it an appearance in the endnotes of that chapter.

To appreciate the book's organization and depth of content, it may be helpful to analyze a sample chapter. Chapter 7, "Materials and Resources – Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle," begins with a list of five topics under the chapter title that are covered in the text. Next is the proverbial quote, which in this case is not directly about materials, but implies the need for change to achieve a sustainable lifestyle.

Each chapter begins in the same way. The text that follows is liberally illustrated with captioned photos and pithy quotations, so that the reader can go straight through the chapter or skim over the content until hitting upon a topic of compelling interest. This chapter also uses text boxes (e.g. "CO2 Impacts Avoided by Building Reuse" on page 261) and lists of products that are green and red (to be avoided).

Some chapters make even more extensive use of these variations in format to break up the flow of information into smaller bites. There seems to be an assumption that readers will jump through the information, rather than settle into a long read, and this format is definitely more suited to a non-linear method of learning.

Chapter 3, "Tools, Guidelines, and Process – Balancing the Goals," may be the most useful chapter, with its overview explanations of the many green tools and metrics commonly in use. Any reader needing a quick summary of the many rating systems, from LEED to BREEAM to Green Globes, etc., can return to these few pages for a quick review. Historic designation and treatment guidelines are given equally important status.

Color photos inserted in the middle of the book illustrate many of the case studies, allowing the reader to view them as they might appear in a professional journal. Reference to the chapter in which each is discussed is helpful, although it is unclear why the order does not match the chapter order in which they appear. The "C" photo numbers do not relate to anything else in the book, and the case studies are not numbered either with respect to the chapters.

Policy decisions are mentioned throughout the book, but only with regard to the specific tools and constraints on design. There remains a need for enhanced development guidelines, and successful case studies, to show that policies can be adopted by communities to address both sustainable design and historic preservation, so that neither is subservient to the other, and so that both support responsible, sustainable development that respects and retains our cultural heritage.

Overall, Sustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings is a wonderful reference with loads of information valuable to both professionals and the general public. Faced with a choice to renovate or build new, and a desire to do so responsibly, the reader can use the information in this book, especially the case studies, as a guide for greening existing buildings.  TB

Ilene R. Tyler, FAIA, FAPT, LEED AP is principal and director of preservation at Quinn Evans Architects in Ann Arbor, MI. Co-author of Historic Preservation: An Introduction to Its History, Principles, and Practice, she also teaches preservation technology at Eastern Michigan University and lectures widely on the topics of preservation, sustainability, and documenting our cultural heritage.

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