Sustainable assets: Examining the rehabilitation sub-code by Michael and Allison Gadaleta

Michael Gadaleta, MG New York Architects, PLLC

Allison Gadaleta, MG New York Architects, PLLC

Since protests over the demolition of New York City’s Pennsylvania Railroad Station in 1963, landmark preservation has blossomed into a national movement, protecting architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites. Public awareness and landmark groups seek to raise the building inventory and the value that they contribute to the fabric of cities and towns. As the idea of sustainability is increasing in popularity, the desire to sustain this abundant, valuable inventory of structures is no different. Every building is an asset, with the potential to offer valuable opportunities for neighbors to identify with the continuity and relevance of the past…keeping the past, present.

 The brief history of the United States differs greatly from our European counterparts. Americans have not been instilled with the sense of the past that exists in cities with centuries of history. We are a nation that desires progression and ‘new,’ mistakenly thinking that new always equals better. The instinct to discard the old and replace with new is a difficult one to overcome.

 Our society triumphed its’ achievements with construction of magnificent places of worship, great banking halls, and municipal and commerce buildings to serve the citizens. Large metropolitan cities like New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston are rich with dignified history. It is this history that makes our cities permanent, familiar, safe, and desirable places to live. It is this continuity of the past that the preservation movement has ignited.

 When a building or structure is abandoned and vacant, it becomes a disease on the streetscape. The building will quickly deteriorate and become overgrown, eventually falling victim to vandalism; broken windows, graffiti, and destruction. The surrounding neighborhood will begin to suffer the spread of this deterioration. The economics of the commercial environment will be effected and experience the loss. Some establishments may not survive, further eroding the streetscape. In hard economic times like the 1970s, entire neighborhoods fell vacant, starting with one building. The conversation will turn to urban renewal, a solution that is more costly and complicated. It is imperative to prevent the loss of the asset in order to protect the vitality of the neighborhood.

 The U.S. Green Building Council has encouraged energy saving measures to be designed into every new structure. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified projects calculate the energy and building materials used to not only construct, operate, and fabricate building materials, but also the amount of energy required to transport materials to the job site. However, there are questions that need to be asked. How much energy is saved by not demolishing the building, by not fabricating new steel and concrete, by not filling a landfill with debris? What if we sustain the entire structure and recycle it into a new use instead of recycling the piles of debris? Many states have addressed the adaptive re-use of these structures by adoption of the rehabilitation sub-code. This sub-code will require full code compliance with life safety issues but will allow some existing non-complying conditions to remain. In short, the rehabilitation sub-code is, according to the state of N.J. Department of Community Affairs, “common sense rules for the restoration and re-use of existing buildings.”

 People and communities with vision see the benefits to society in sustaining the past. Once a community focuses and realizes the potential for adaptive re-use, identify the structures and sites in need, then the process of sustaining the asset can begin. The city planners will analyze the highest and the best use of the asset, given the surrounding environment and zoning. Interested neighborhood groups invigorate and stimulate the conversation. The developers need to be listening; redevelopment is uncomplicated when the community is looking for a developer to help. Even elected officials are cooperative; fast tracking approvals, offering financial incentives, and tax abatements. This is a win-win for both developers and municipalities.

 The advantages in sustaining a significant building also include the design of the structure. Quite deliberately the design was intended to evoke emotion in the public, often expressing the strength of the city or wealth and success of a corporation. Municipal and civic architecture expressed the desire to be recognized and were deliberately overstated. The turn of the century structures erected in NYC were commissioned to induce the awareness that our young nation and cities were here to stay. The American innovation and can-do spirit were never stronger. The buildings were a symbol of civic pride for the city, the workers, and ultimately the public. Major components of these designs were the elaborate finishes; high-end carved stone, brass, and bronze, opulent ornate ceilings, and mosaic floors. The list is endless. Not only has the ability to fund such high-end finishes disappeared, but the workman and the skill has been lost. Ornate ceilings are often hidden above acoustical tile and elaborate terrazzo floors are under glued down carpet. Celebrated entryways, oversized vestibules, high ceilings, and grand marble stairs with curved handrails were all designed to stimulate your senses and guarantee a pleasant experience for the public, the student, the patient, or the worshiper.

 When abandoned, underutilized assets, like an old school or office building, are converted to a new use, the design components that made the asset extraordinary now become exemplary. End users are in awe of the elements that are not typical in new buildings. Preventing unnecessary destruction allows for the opportunity of enjoyment. A simple trip to the elevator becomes an experience, the double-height marbled lobby leading to embellished bronze elevator doors. The wide, curved grandiose stair becomes a gathering place for the exchange of ideas. The simplest elements turn into objects of conversation, a conversation of a time that has passed, and now a continuation of the past as present.

Michael Gadaleta, AIA, and Allison Gadaleta, B. Arch., are with MG New York Architects, PLLC, New York, N.Y.