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"The difference between what is saved and what is not comes down to the weather and the cost to restore"

It pretty much comes down to money, like everything else, not the weather, since the weather affects all buildings. If you put in the money to maintain a building, you will always mitigate the weather's effects, but again, it comes down to money, or 'capital' as republicans prefer.

"where the line falls depends very much on how well regarded a building is."

If only... How many "well regarded" buildings where lost only for profit or some ideoligical reason like the modernists and their idea that traditional cities where obsolete.

"Design life" is another term that ought to be retired. While it's true for some of the worst suburban commercial building types, proper maintenance can stretch 40 years into 140, if there's money. Maybe financial incentives ought to be provided to maintain or repurpose existing structures for the sake of sustainability, but if someone want's to make more money from the property, no amount of free money will convince most landlords to maintain an underbuilt lot, unless we all agree its worth preserving.

by Thayer-D on Jul 7, 2012 7:26 pm • link • report