In our February issue
Existing buildings are, increasingly, a mainstay of the architecture profession. According to the AIA?s latest Firm Survey, 48 percent of architecture firm billings in the United States are linked to work on existing buildings, whether through renovations, adaptive reuse, additions, or historic preservation.
It?s a trend that seems here to stay: these rates have risen steadily from 15 years ago, when a third of revenue was tied to existing buildings. With a predicted moderation in population and economic growth in coming years, it?s expected that the levels of work on existing buildings will remain high.
This is good news on the sustainability front. When it comes to embodied carbon, the most sustainable buildings are, arguably, the ones that already exist. In the United States, some 40 percent of the national building stock is over 50 years old. Many of these facilities would benefit from upgrades to increase energy efficiency, improve accessibility, and address public health risks emerging from the pandemic. In the current issue of Canadian Architect, we look at several projects that have taken different approaches to working with existing structures. For the University of Calgary?s MacKimmie Block, DIALOG upgraded a 1950s tower by adding a sculpted double-skin façade. The result is a striking visual presence?and a flagship for the university?s ambitious sustainability goals. Adding to this project?s interest as a technical case study, the r...