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Pittsburgh Hosts Historic Preservationists Interested in "Green" Preservation
By: Staff - Monday, November 13, 2006
Source: iGreenBuild.com
On October 30, Pittsburgh's History & Landmarks Foundation hosted the Greening of Historic Properties Summit, followed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual conference.
"It's a wonderful opportunity to introduce people of influence from all over the country to our city," said Cathy McCollom, program director at the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, in a story in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. "What's unique is they're not just coming from the airport to their hotel and conference room, but really getting out and seeing the city. The city is the laboratory."
The challenge for preservationists is to balance the needs of the future with the limitations of the past. Older buildings need to be adapted for modern use. "You have some great adaptive uses," said Peter Brink, senior vice president of programs for the National Trust. "A cutting-edge part of preservation is taking old buildings and creating new uses."
The Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation was formed in 1964 to counter post-war "urban renewal" efforts that essentially destroyed entire neighborhoods.
While green building typically focuses on new construction, adapting those standards to historic renovation is a growing field of interest. "Historic buildings in some ways are among the easiest to adapt, because they were built at a time when we depended on daylight and large windows," said Rebecca Flora, executive director of the thirteen-year-old Green Building Alliance on the South Side.
This conference is a golden opportunity for experts on both the green building front and the historic preservation front to come together and create historic urban spaces that are energy efficient and safe.
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