Why DO Old Buildings Matter?

By RenovateDSM - Posted on December 8th, 2009

Old Buildings matter for several reasons: Context, Craftsmanship, Narrative, Sustainability.

• Understanding Context - In a broad sense, buildings provide the context for understanding our shared history. The shape and size of homes, and their pattern of arrangement into neighborhoods, both influence and are influenced by broader social, economic, and technical forces.
• Historical Narrative - Much of our history is tied up in buildings. By history, I do not mean just the lives of important figures (such as governors). Each one of us has a personal history that is recorded in the places we inhabit on a daily basis: the heights of children marked on a door casing, nail holes in the wall from hanging artwork, coins that fall into the duct work. Old buildings can weave just as complex a narrative as the greatest storyteller. These narratives give us a connection to the past.
• Craftsmanship - In addition to the context and the narrative, historic buildings are also sometimes works of art in their own right, worthy of respect in and of themselves. Most of the buildings we build today are simply not designed or constructed with the intention that they will exist 200 years from now. The phrase “planned obsolescence” didn’t exist in 100 years ago. The many of the materials and products we use for most of our buildings today are designed to be replaced rather than repaired when damaged (and they tend to damage more easily).
• Renovation is Green - Finally, sustainability. At the individual level, extending the useful life of a structure through renovation allows us to improve energy efficiency while minimizing use of new-source construction materials. On a larger scale, renovation and preservation allow us to better utilize existing infrastructure and provide services more effectively to more people.

(Source: renovatedsm.com)