ECOWEEK – The paradigm of sustaiability of buildings -video

SUSTAINABILITY BETWEEN BUILDING REHABILITATION AND RESTORATION OF THE MODERN ARCHITECTURE

The environmental system has a reticular geometry: there are hubs in which flow exchanges can take place (happen). Inside this lattice, the system constantly seeks its own balance (equilibrium).

When an environmental stress occurs, a poorly resilient eco-system comes across fragile; instead, an adaptable eco-system remodels itself. Since we know that our eco-system now is not very resilient, as architects, we have to use every sustainable strategy to enhance the state.

To disambiguate the word “sustainability” is necessary. Francesco Musco in his book Rigenerazione urbana e sostenibilità (2009) said that the word “sustainability” has been abused and even used as a buzzword; furthermore, many proposed solutions seem like eco-gadgets. This, in architecture too. So, no geenwhashing!

Sustainability derives from Latin “Sustineo”; this word means to keep something as it is in the present and keep it also for the future, without losing its intrinsic qualities and properties. The term also requires to assume responsibility towards future generations (by Hans Jonas, Das Prinzip Verantwortung, 1979 “). Used mainly associated with the term development (starting from the Brundtland report of 1987 “Our common future”) as “sustainable development”, the two terms clash each other because the word development has always been perceived and used with an anthropocentric meaning. More recently, the opposite term is “degrowth” (by Serge Latouche, 2007).

Personally, I prefer to use the term eco-sustainability because it adds the prefix eco to the term sustainability. Eco derives from Greek “oikos” = home, environment) and is a part of the two terms eco-logy and eco-system[1].

Inside this systemic organization, with his activity, human being produces architecture for his living but he must necessarily relate to the other subjects who are part of the “system”. According this point of view, man is just one of the many subjects that are part of this system. He lives here, in the nature, with plants and animals.

Therefore, it is eco-sustainable everything that is sustainable from an ecological point of view, that is, everything we can made without damaging the environment, better yet everything can improve it (Yona Friedman). The first definition of “sustainable architecture” dates back to 2004, and was given by the European Commission. According to its definition, architecture is sustainable if it carries out (makes) strategies able to recomposing the discrepancies between design and execution, minimizing the impact on the environment, also through technological innovation.

In the last 50-70 years the worldwide has improved; this was possible because of our faith in scientific and technological innovation based on use of fossil flues, that are exhaustible and pollutant, with damaging effects. We must remember in particular the fear (anxiety) caused by the oil crisis of the 1970s that led to crisis our construction industry too.

As a consequence, the architects produced many approach, even though as concern new buildings. We had Low tech architecture with less technology, by Paolo Soleri&c.; on the other hand, faith in technological innovation produced High tech architecture (more technology, by Norman Foster&c.). Then, around 1990, we had an Ecological humanism (by Gunter Behnisch) that tried to connect them both. We can also mention other contributions from Bill Dunster, Rolf Dish, Kenneth Yeang and many others. As I said, as concern new buildings.

Already in 1994 and then, after ten years, in 2004, the European Conference of Sustainable Cities signed the Åalborg Charter (named as “Charter of European Cities & Towns Towards Sustainability”). In this agreement there are 10 commitments; the 5th commitment concerns recovery, restoration, reuse and regeneration of buildings and towns/cities, an important focus on existing buildings as sustainable strategy.

The trinomial Reduce-Reuse-Recycle (three of the eight R by Serge Latouche) refers not only to the individual building materials but to entire buildings.

There are not problems in re-using cultural heritage, it is almost an imperative and we have learned to restore them.

The real problem is re-using recent constructions. Indeed, we can say that in Europe the greatest impact on the environment is produced from those built in the twentieth century, especially after the Second World War. Need to rebuild houses after the war, speed of execution , new techniques and technologies (reinforced concrete or prefabrication), availability of fossil resources for technological systems, were causes of a low executive quality. Indeed, now we can see a decay: these buildings are deteriorated, degraded and often in disuse. This last condition generates the abandon of territories too.

So, we can say that they have almost three type of lack that are:

Environmental un-sustainability, caused by excessive use of energy based on fossil flues
Functional and technological obsolescence, that concerns performances
Physical deterioration, that concern materials and appearance
External obsolescence, that concerns economic value

With our activity, as architects, we have to consider the possibility of reducing or removing these lacks, first of all the un-sustainability. That is our approach must be to “give another chance” to these buildings.

As we know, this is possible by making use of renewable resources, reducing the use of exhaustible resources, reducing CO2 emissions, using a bioclimatic approach when we design, but also reusing materials, products and buildings.

I would point out also the “robust design”, that is to design following criteria of flexibility, adaptability, integrability and durability.

So, the fundamental strategies for an eco-sustainable architecture is first of all

RE-USE_RE-CYCLE buildings and materials (Along with BIOCLIMATIC APPROACH, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, LONG LIFE CYCLE – LCA)

The eco-logy debates on (deals with) living conditions of living beings and their “surrounding” (in Italian “circostante” that I use like noun not like adjective); that is, it studies the economy of the environment / nature;

the eco-system is the systemic organization, structured inside the environment.

relational/social values).

The building replacement or interventions of overwriting and restoration and redevelopment are feasible. Since these interventions contribute to the enhancement of the settlements, rethinking uses, functions, and values of buildings and neighbourhoods.

The project on the existing buildings includes conservation and restoration of historical architectural heritage, next to recovery and redevelopment actions that concern a large amount of buildings built in the last fifty years in the urban suburbs. In the middle we have the restoration of the architecture of the Modern Movement.

All these types of intervention require a theoretical approach based on a deep knowledge of the existing buildings.

On one side, the conservation and restoration of the Modern requires an approach aimed at recognizing and conserving the original architectural structure and language. On on the other side, the operation of recovery and redevelopment is characterized by the trend towards the transformation of the architectural configuration. This approach shall provide new values to the existing building, which are based on the “availability for transformation” that the building holds.

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