Designed to provide architects and building owners with a framework of energy-efficient
and environmentally responsible building techniques, green building guidelines are
quickly changing the face of both new construction and historic restoration.

Preservationists say that the reuse of existing buildings is one of the highest forms of sustainable design, yet sustainable-design measuring criteria doesn't give much credit to existing building reuse (for example, LEED gives three points out of 69 total in its certification process for reusing the entire building including interior walls).

This has prompted the American Institute of Architects to ask:

• Should there be an even greater sustainability incentive to reuse historic buildings?
• How do you balance embodied energy versus energy performance?
• Should sustainable performance be judged solely on energy consumption moving forward? What about embodied energy in existing materials; the cost of demolition; trucking and land filling debris; and the creation, delivery, and installation of new materials?
• How does one calculate the increased worth that an historic building or district brings to a city?

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To overcome the hurdles between the historic preservation standards and green building
guidelines, proponents of both agree that it is essential to reach a meeting of the minds on
key areas of concern, which center on:

• Envelope – the outer structure of a building, including roof, walls, windows, and
  foundation
• Lighting – natural and electric illumination methods, including lighting fixtures,fixture placement, electrical service requirements, and the use of exterior andinterior windows and skylights
• HVAC – the systems used to heat and cool buildings
• Materials – the structural components and finishes used to build a structure,enclose it, and then complete the interior spaces

Resources

• What is embodied energy and how do we measure it?
• The Greening of Historic Properties National Summit (2006) White Paper: Pinpointing strategies and tactics for integrating green building technologies into historic structures (PDF)

Updates  

U.S. Green Building Council, Charter for the New Urbanism and Natural Resources Defense Council release LEED certification for Neighborhood Development. Included in the rating system are points for building reuse, adaptive reuse, and reuse of historic buildings. (3-7-07)

Donovan Rypkema, director of Place Economics, speaks on the economic impact and 'green' aspects of historic preservation at Cleveland Restoration Society's 2006 annual meeting. 

Seeing a rift growing between green builders and historic preservationists, the American Institute of Architects' Historic Resources Committee held a conference in Minneapolis (November 17–19, 2006) to explore common goals and objectives and offer solutions.