Why tear down a building?
Why not, some would ask. Not every old structure is a masterpiece or an historical landmark. Some are cold monoliths from days when cement was cheaper than style.
Then there are the aging heating systems, windows, plumbing and electricity — not to mention structural problems with crumbling foundations and leaky roofs.
There is also the possibility of bulldozing an inefficient building and doing better with something new. For some – for some successful companies, reasonably – it makes sense to have a modern symbol of the company’s commitment to the future. Let’s make a statement. Let’s etch the landscape with glass and steel and take out the painted cinder block throwback that makes us look like a dinosaur.
And then there’s the possibility of doing the environment a favor. You can tear down a ecological eyesore and go green. Now, who can argue with that idea?
Well, here’s an ironic twist: You could tear down an older building in order to embrace the politically fashionable trend toward green buildings, only to find that one of the standard criteria for green certification is for a building to be constructed by recycled material. Out with the old and in with the … used. There is at least a little irony there.
Look at the problems individually:
1, Wiring: While tearing through walls is, indeed, daunting, new wiring can be handled with conduit and creative molding. Just saying.
2. Plumbing: There’s a problem. But most plumbing issues are not in the walls. They are at terminal points — sinks and showers — or in the basement.
3. Windows: Windows are accessible and often a critical point of attack in an effort to go from an inefficient building to one that is certifiably green.
4. Roofs: Most roofs do not outlast a structure. Expect to patch a roof every five to 10 years and major replacement every 20 to 30 years.
5. Foundations: When they start to go, it seems like it’s time to move. But building foundations can be repaired or even rebuilt. Some patches are extensive, but they don’t add up to the cost of an entire building. Sometimes, foundation repair requires extensive waterproofing. Different companies have different methods. Evansville Foundation Repair uses the Hydraway Waterproofing System to keep basements and/or crawlspaces dry.
There are three Rs in the current thinking for improving our environmental record: One is to reduce use. The other is to re-use. And the other is to recycle.
But there is another green to consider and that is the green bills in your budget. For almost any construction project, except for the smallest, put out a call for multiple bids for the work. Doing that gets you advise from many experts — from large companies to private contractors. It might seem easier and more cost efficient to tear down a building and construct a building that is green certified, but that is not the only option. And, certainly, if you are considering a green approach to your company’s building needs, there are substantial demolition costs, architecture fees and lost time associated with new construction.
Many don’t realize that green is mostly about boring fundamentals — tons of insulation and great windows — more than it is about wind turbines and solar panels.
Besides, what is the point of putting solar panels on the roof of a building with poor insulation? Well, there is a benefit from doing so, but it still sidesteps the fundamental steps of putting sustainability into the mix. What’s the point in missing the step of reducing energy needs? It might be the least sex of the thee Rs, but it is often the most effective and the most readily available step.
Retrofit is the way to go green in St. Louis. At Washington University, faculty and staff put together a seven-year, $100 million Green Rehab project that renovated 850 apartments in various brick buildings built in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of the two bedroom apartments that made up a majority of the living quarters were refit to become studio apartments, largely because the old designs included small dinning rooms and sun rooms that were underutilized, given modern lifestyles have moved away from those accommodations.
Before you go too far, you might have infrastructure needs, as well. Old buildings have old parking lots and old connection to water mains. They have old wire and old heating systems.
These are massive projects involving years of work and millions of dollars. They are handled by major construction firms. But the same rules apply to residential homes. At some point, green means calling a bulldozer, but in most cases going green can mean taking simple steps, such as adding insulation and weatherproofing.