5/17/2014 Recycle Rather than Rebuild by Vani Bahl

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May 17, 2014 Environment Share This Page

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Analysis by Vani Bahl The
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Today's renewed interest in "green" architecture should heighten attention to the ethic of
preservation, as a cornerstone of sustainability. Now that the idea of recycling waste has architectural-revie…
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Columns permeated our culture, I believe we should adopt the slogan, "recycle wasted architecture." Get unrestricted
A Bystander's Diary The case for adaptive reuse is not just nostalgic but economic. Construction costs are growing,
we can't afford to rebuild the environment every generation. By every accepted economic index, access to the AR
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My Word including increased tax revenues and increased business activity, recycling in architecture archive when you join
PlainSpeak proves its viability. today!
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Our Heritage For preservation to succeed, we have to shed our old habits of tearing down old buildings and
Architecture starting over. Instead, we should see architectural residue from the past as a repository of vast
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5/17/2014 Recycle Rather than Rebuild by Vani Bahl

Neemrana Fort Palace, Rajasthan, India, a 15th-century fort,

has been restored for adaptive reuse as a heritage hotel.

In Rajasthan, India, I have found numerous examples of 15th century structures that have been
restored and re inhabited. The Neemrana Fort Palace, once a ruin, is now a heritage hotel.
Other structures, reduced to near rubble, are crying out for new life. Though damaged, wall and
ceiling surfaces can be restored, providing ready-made rich interiors. We can benefit from the
several-century-old craftsmanship, preserving that human energy Preservation, restoration, and
rehabilitation in architecture cause much less destruction to our natural resources than new
construction. To appreciate this, architects must be sensitive to the energy used in the
production and assembly of materials needed for new buildings, from their origin to their end of
life and subsequent reuse.

Interior of an abandoned fort in Rajasthan, India. A 15th-century step well, in the

village
In recycled abandoned spaces, rich interiors come ready made. Neemrana, Rajasthan, India. Such
monuments are repositories of vast
physical, human, and cultural
energy.

Statistics reveal that building construction consumes 40 percent of the raw materials entering
the global economy every year. Interestingly, about 85 percent of the total embodied energy in
materials is used in their production and transportation. Even before they reach the construction
site, building materials have consumed large quantities of fossil fuels.

If all the hidden costs were spelled out in the balance sheet, the recycling of architecture would
be perceived as the only rational strategy for the management of material resources. Then we
could appreciate huge areas of abandoned and semi-abandoned built tissue as resources, not
obstacles for future growth.

Modern construction methods are incredibly wasteful of resources. Up to 25 percent of the total
waste generated in the United States, India, and other countries is directly attributed to building,
construction, and demolition activities. These ' often hidden ' waste products can be
environmentally hazardous and polluting, both as solids and in the atmosphere.

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5/17/2014 Recycle Rather than Rebuild by Vani Bahl

High-rises in India that imitate those built in the west waste energy and are guilty
of "cultural assassination." Construction depends on expensive, imported technology,
and such buildings can be k ept habitable only by massive infusions of mechanical energy.

Demolition of existing buildings wastes the embodied energy as well as the energy consumed in
tearing the building down, which can be considerable, given the quality and strength of older
structures. Add to this the cost of incinerating demolition debris, and the wasteful use of land in
fill sites.

Designers sensitive to sustainable practices can establish a recycling program to reduce the
amount of solid waste resulting from construction and choose materials which are themselves
either recyclable or reusable.

By contrast, adaptive reuse is much more labor-intensive than new construction, because it
involves the reconditioning the existing structures to adapt to modern day requirements. This
dependence on human resources encourages the local community to participate and potentially
revives a vernacular rhythm in architecture. This activity can remind us that vernacular
architecture is one cornerstone of our identity.

Conserving Cultural Energy

The evolution of our societies is reflected in our building types and styles. This relationship gives
older buildings a character we value and identify with. However, the corporate mentality does not
seem to appreciate the long-term economic value of buildings nor their cultural spirit. Such
devaluation is part of so-called "globalization."

The famous quote by Louis Sullivan, "form follows function," seems to have become an
outdated philosophy, as has "form follows culture," by Indian artist Satish Gujral. Today's
corporate approach to architecture often would suggest that these sentiments could be
reworded as "form follows fashion." Many modern buildings do not reflect the richness and
complexities of cultural evolution. Few contemporary designers seem to value the emotional
spirit of architecture.

When a building of historic merit is preserved or restored for adaptive reuse, its cultural energy
is also "recycled." History brought back to active duty, and the elements of the built fabric ' walls,
floors, windows, doors, and roof ' once again envelop a space to connect inside with outside to
keep out the weather.

Very likely, the old structure was strategically placed to get the best views and optimum
orientation to the sun and wind and climate. It might have been built to ensure security of the
occupants and to strike a balance between the built mass and the open spaces.

Old buildings preserve the local culture and identity and create a sense of belonging. In a way,
we recycle embodied human resource energy along with material energy. We bring alive the
past to be a part of the future, creating important connections through time.
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5/17/2014 Recycle Rather than Rebuild by Vani Bahl
past to be a part of the future, creating important connections through time.

Do we wish to erase the link by dumping the stone that has witnessed passing phases of
humanity into some land-fill site? Or, is it truly "green" to avoid the landfill and grind up
community memory into bulk aggregate? When do we start to value real architecture above a
consumptive fascination with mere newness and fashion?
10-Aug-2008
More by : Vani Bahl

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