The Greenest Building May Not Be the Newest One

 The greenest building may not always be the newest one.

Before demolishing an existing building, the sustainability question should go beyond the performance of the proposed replacement.

An existing building already contains embodied carbon in its structure, façade, foundations, finishes and construction materials. Demolition also creates waste, while a new building introduces another round of material extraction, transport and construction.

That does not mean every existing building should be preserved.

It means the decision should be compared, not assumed.

Before choosing demolition, consider:

• What can be retained?

• Can operational performance be upgraded?

• How much embodied carbon is already in the building?

• How much waste will demolition create?

• What is the carbon and cost implication of rebuilding?

Sustainable construction is not only about building greener.

Sometimes, it starts by asking whether we need to build again at all.