James River Green Building Council – Architect calls for preservation and reuse of historic buildings
By Courtney Beale
Charlottesville Tomorrow
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Environmental protection through stewardship of historical buildings was the message of Jean Carroon’s presentation to the James River Green Building Council on Tuesday.
“Stewardship is the heart of the environmental movement,” Carroon said. “The only way we can really take care of nature is by taking care of what is all around us and believing in the power of preservation.”
Jean Carroon, Goody Clancy
Carroon, an architect and author, leads the preservation and renovation practice of Goody Clancy, a Boston-based architecture, planning and preservation firm. She has completed Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified renovations on historic buildings for Champlain College, Harvard University and the National Park Service.
“Every time we extend the service life of a building, we avoid the environmental impacts of creating something new,” Carroon said. “We avoid the environmental impacts of our throwaway culture.”
“[The JRGBC] wanted the public to be aware that it is possible to do historic restoration in a green manner,” said Ned Ormsby, sponsorship chair of the JRGBC and project coordinator for Lithic Construction. “They are not exclusive.”
Ormsby also commented on why adaptive reuse is especially relevant to the Charlottesville-Albemarle region.