Week in Review

The big news this week is that our April podcast episode is now live!  We had a great conversation with Mike Hines, co-founder of Homepath Products about his company and his thoughts on adaptability in green building.  We also integrated some listener suggestions into this episode, so let us know what you think about the new approach!

Good reads in case you missed them: Advisory Board member Elaine Hsieh wrote a great blog post this week about A Green Building Consultant's Dilemma.  I think it resonates with a lot of readers because it's a fantastic look into the duality of this industry right now.  Also, my post last Friday about Linking Historic Preservation with Green Building has been drawing steady interest.  Add your thoughts to the conversation....we love seeing active comment boxes.

Enjoy your weekend!


Linking Historic Preservation With Green Building

When I think of sustainability, part of what I think of are quality structures that will be used for generations.  Historic buildings to me are a good example of that kind of durability, though in the past there was debate here at Build2Sustain over whether the Coliseum should be considered sustainable. So, isn't there a natural alignment between historic preservation and sustainable renovation?  Sure, the historic aspects and the regulations around renovating a historic building can present challenges, but surely there must be a way to preserve the features of a building that makes them special historically while updating the technology and materials to make it a high performing building.  John M. Tess of the Heritage Consulting Group writes an interesting piece about this very topic, highlighting successful projects that were able to attain both historic preservation and green building credits (and reap the rewards of tax benefits in the process).  One of the projects highlighted is the Oregon National Guard Armory Annex pictured left.  In the end, by using the resources and abilities we have now to help these buildings perform better, we ensure their survival for many generations to come--and isn't that the very point of historic preservation?