Green ArchiTEXT

Old is the New Green

Great new issue of Preservation from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, with facts and figures, case studies and resources – exploring the conflicts and growing partnerships between sustainable design, new urbanism and heritage conservation.

• “The Height of Sustainability”: Turning the Empire State Building into a model of energy efficiency
• “Brick by Brick”: Greening a Rhode Island fire station
• “Preservation Green Guide”
• “Historic Preservation and Green Architecture: Friends or Foes?” Blair Kamin explores the natural alliance between these two discplines:

"Whenever I hear people talking about tension between historic preservation and green architecture, I am taken aback. What tension? Choosing between preservation and conservation, it would seem, is like choosing between a Volvo and a Saab. They have more similarities than differences.” >> MORE

Read the entire issue here.

Work in Progress: Mithun's Pier 56 Office, "a living laboratory for sustainable strategies"

My current article for Eco-Structure Magazine:

In any weather, the views from Seattle’s Pier 56 to the Olympic Mountains are nothing short of spectacular: cruise ships and ferries plying the waters of Elliott Bay, misty islands in the distance, occasionally an orca surfacing, seabirds circling. Home to architectural firm Mithun for the past 10 years, the pier marks the intersection of old and new, of history and a bright green tomorrow.

via www.eco-structure.com

ALL PHOTOS: Dave Macaulay

Preserving Green: Making History with a LEED Platinum Landmark in NOLA

Preserving Green, a project led by New Orleans' Preservation Resource Center (PRCNO), will transform an architecturally significant house in the Holy Cross historic district of New Orleans into a LEED Platinum community center that will be free and open to the public throughout the year. Preserving Green is the first project that has support of both the U.S. Green Building Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Along with the USGBC and the National Trust, other sponsors include Historic Green New Orleans and The Kresge Foundation. The community center located at 5200 Dauphine Street will serve as a critical "home" and meeting place for the local neighborhood association.

via www.prcno.org

IMAGE: Historic Green

Deconstruction of 5200 Dauphine, a historic shotgun/camelback, during Historic Green, March 2009. Reconstruction and reframing of the house will begin during this year's Historic Green, March 9 to 19, 2010.

Back to the Future: Mithun renews Olmsted Brothers landscape plan for Washington State’s historic West Capitol Campus

Preserving history and a venerable legacy, Mithun’s historic landscape preservation master plan for the West Campus of Washington State’s Capitol also takes a leap forward to promote sustainability in an increasingly urban future. The new plan represents an extraordinary opportunity to activate the Olmsted Brothers’ original plan in ways that highlight the value of cultural landscapes and their ability to perform ecologically as a living example of the state’s environmental goals.

A host of historic documentation recently retrieved from the Library of Congress and the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site provided the foundation for planning and design. “Sharing an understanding of Olmsted principles is urgent in the 21st century,” says Debra Guenther ASLA, Mithun landscape architecture principal. “They are prescient in their timeless understanding of integrating infrastructure, place and people.”
ALL IMAGES: Mithun

Mithun’s landscape plan respects the design principles of the original Olmsted plan, honors characteristic features and concepts of the historic design, and acknowledges the dynamic context of the historic capitol grounds. “We are providing a sustainable link between the past and future,” says Guenther.

Washington State’s Capitol is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Instead of a single building, as in most states, it consists of a campus with several buildings. The Washington State Legislature, Washington Supreme Court and Washington Governor’s Mansion are all located on the Capitol Campus.

The Olmsted Brothers created the original 54-acre site plan in 1928, with planting beginning in 1931 and continuing to this day as buildings are added and site needs change. As with all of the Olmsteds' work, the Campus features sweeping vistas along with open, expansive lawns. However, much of their design intent was lost due to attrition, development or deferred preventive care. Mithun’s plan will replenish aging trees, establish new trees and replace portions of energy-intensive lawn with layers of vegetation, as originally intended. The plan also recommends the removal of some parking in order to help return the most civic aspect of the state to a place for people rather than cars.

Read more at Mithun’s “West Capitol Campus Historic Landscape Preservation Master Plan”.

Gerding Theater at the Armory

The Gerding Theater in Portland's Pearl District is LEED Platinum, and one of the greenest historic renovation efforts in North America. Here's a 360-degree view of its amazing lobby/entrance.


Lobby of Gerding Theater at The Armory in Portland