There was talk last week about the environmental tradeoffs between (1) renovating an existing building and (2) demolishing that building and constructing anew.
To determine which option would be better for the environment, one can apply data-modeling software sold by the Athena Institute. The data-modeling software, called the Environmental Impact Estimator (EIE), allows users to “assess the environmental implications of industrial, institutional, office, and residential building designs.”[1] The software, in making its assessment, takes into account the effects of manufacturing building products, actual building construction, and material maintenance and replacement over the building’s life.[2] The software also accounts for the energy and emission associated with building demolition and the transport to landfills of materials that would not currently be recycled or reused.[3] Generally, “the energy required to operate a building over its life greatly overshadows the energy attributed to the products used in its construction…[h]owever…effects such as toxic releases to water, effects during the resource extraction and manufacturing stages greatly outweigh any releases associated with building operations.”[4]
The EIE can be used to assess the environmental impact of either new construct or renovation.[5] Thus, a planner, in determining whether she should renovate an existing building or demolish and build new, can apply the EIE to assess the environmental impact of the two options. The two assessments can then be compared to determine whether renovation or new construction would be more environmentally friendly.[6]
In conclusion, one cannot make a simple statement that renovation is always preferable to new construction, or vice versa. Rather, a multi-factor approach is needed in order to make a decision.
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