Are Old Buildings Worth Saving?
Echoes of distant ship horns reverberated in Wapping, London, the center of maritime trade. The River Thames, serving as a microcosm of the Industrial Revolution, teemed with activity, thrilling eager merchants prepared to unload crates filled with spices and coffee. Take the hustle and bustle culture to the nth degree and you get 1800’s London.
View of London Docks
We can't forget our favorite part though: the deplorable living conditions of the everyday workers. The LA loft-style industrial look Gen Zers savor nowadays overwhelmed industrial warehouse design. Unfortunately, the warehouses weren't our dream houses. Rather, these structures lacked proper ventilation, leading to poor air quality and suffocation by pollutants and fumes. Although timber was a cost-effective building material, it easily caught on fire, endangering the workers. A thin sheet covered the roofs, failing to conserve heating. Clearly, sustainability was out of sight in the design and use of these buildings.
Almost 250 years later, these warehouses remain scattered around London's River Thames.
What do we do with them? Demolish them? Save them? Are they even worth saving?
JTP Architects believes the historical factor of the Pennington Street Warehouse (PSW) offers a fun sustainability design challenge. Joseph Worrall, one of the project’s architects, explained “the firm was in dire need of a new office and excitedly purchased PSW for its growing architect team.” When approaching the problem of how to reimagine PSW, JTP focused on two goals: form and function. Elements of sustainability appear in both.
As far as the form, or the visual appeal of the building, generous care was taken in deciding what materials will provide a natural look while protecting employee health. JTP selected wood, glass and cement to convey a naturally clean aesthetic. Additionally, most paints and flooring materials release VOCS–air polluting compounds that can cause cancer. To achieve a VOC-free workspace, JTP invested in Richlite, a form of recycled paper encased in phenolic resin. Joseph further noted it was “a big process of convincing others to buy into the sustainability concept. But, it worked out and we’re very happy to put the well-being of our staff first!”
Now with the latter: function. The primary goal of the office is to promote collaboration between the architects. Remember, sustainability isn’t only limited to environmental impact; the S for Social in ESG is just as important.
The open space plan welcomes accidental run-ins that spark community-building small talk–
“How was your weekend!”
“I’m heading for lunch, do you want to join?”
Aside from floor plan, air conditioning is always a big question for building sustainability. JTP approaches the problem by recycling heating to cooler parts of the warehouse. By redirecting airflow, the firm cuts down on 25% of energy costs, fulfilling a sustainable agenda. The exposed air conditioning ducts also add to the form appeal of a modern industrial look, every teenager’s New Girl apartment dream.
If we approach building conservation as JTP does, then old buildings are really worth saving– for both historical preservation and modern sustainability.
