Integrating Environmental and Cultural Sustainability for Heritage Properties

Annotation by Sunna Zubair. This journal article critically evaluates current sustainability rating systems stress on \‘quantifiable values\’ and how it overlooks the qualitative significance of heritage properties. The concept of heritage has expanded over the past few decades from architectural and art masterpieces to include landscapes, settlements, ways of life and much more. This understanding of heritage and culture has been infused in societies in many forms, importance and values. Heritage conservation is not only concerned with protecting cultural objects but is inherently linked with sustainable development as a result of protecting, maintaining and the long-term use of historic buildings. Majority of heritage buildings originally implemented \‘green ideas\’ in design such as promoting the use of existing resources, durable materials, maintainable assembles, and development in dense areas. It is therefore inherently sustainable. As a result, various organizations are forming worldwide advocating for heritage conservation within a larger social, economic and environmental scope through diverse mediums. There are currently a number of tools that assess environmental impacts of buildings such as LEED, and BREEAM. They measure the environmental performance of existing structures and guide new developments. These systems are debatable but have multiple benefits such as creating the means to make an informed design decision. It guides designers to problem areas to help solve them. When the existing system is applied to heritage properties, other concerns emerge. The tools measure environmental performance set by finite criteria. These standards are made for new structures, making the application to historic buildings difficult. Many things are not factored or considered appropriately in the systems such as the energy investment required in replacing a building, which may have low operational costs, but the calculation should include the entire process where energy is lost in shipping material, or the disregard of the social and cultural sustainability or potential. Some jurisdictions seek exemptions or leniency in performance standards which can be risky if broadly applied. The most suitable method would be to approach performance problems in an integrated way. It is feasible to integrate consideration of key aspects for heritage properties in the environmental sustainability assessment. The assessment should include complete data and information, the overall process over numerical standards and account for the durability of materials and assemblies. These rating systems should use energy modeling to compare options. Overall for heritage buildings, attention should be put to low impact, high benefit areas than targets of new-building standards. The article further provides points on what these assessments should include which focus on the challenge of translating qualitative factors. Heritage systems that may be environmentally appropriate by virtue of performance standards may not do well under these rating systems. As the idea of heritage evolves, this article is intended to be further assembled by intended researchers and reviewed as a case study to determine if there are other general conclusions that can be reached about sustainable assessment systems for heritage properties.