Tower Power: How To Green The Slabs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
From Moscow in the upper picture, to Toronto in the lower, suburban apartment towers are common in much of the northern hemisphere with the exception of the USA. Many of them from the 50's and 60's have no insulation, single glazed windows and "radiator fin" balconies. Yet millions around the world call them home; can they be upgraded and retrofitted?
In Toronto, the The Tower Renewal Project is "an initiative to re-examine these buildings’ remarkable heritage, neighbourhood histories, current place in our city, and future potential in a green and equitable Toronto."
Architects Graeme Stewart and Michael McClelland of ERA Architects are working on a faceade-retrofit strategy that adds a second skin to the existing brick filing cabinets without disturbing the tenants; it has integrated sun shading, insulation, solar hot water heating and vertical chases to bring in new services. The balconies are enclosed (but with big operable windows) to eliminate heat loss. Result: a modern, efficient building built without a gut job that displaces and disrupts everyone inside.
In Germany and other European cities they have been doing this for years; in North America, private building owners don't have huge incentives to do this, and public sector housing is barely maintained, let alone improved. When vacancy rates were low and there was real rent control, building owners loved renovating apartments because it was the only way to get increased rents; perhaps it is time to look at it again. ::Toronto Tower Renewal
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This is a great idea, but urban areas are already ahead of the curve in energy conservation. Urban dwellers drive less, use mass transit, and the products they consume are more distributed more efficiently. I applaud this initiative, but I still seen tons of uninsulated houses in the 'burbs, as indicated by no snow on the roofs.
Yes these buildings today are ugly and function poorly (I can vouch - I used to live in one); yes it would be great to green them; but as the article mentions, it is a problem of incentives. Always the bottom line is king, especially with rental property. Ultimately this will catch on if it puts dollars back in renter`s pockets - as simple as that.
Also, the veiled endorsement of rent controls is disappointing. Regulation, zoning, property taxes, et al, are what got us such horrible buildings in the first place. We know our environment is healthiest when we minimize impact; this is every bit as true for the social environment. No one who truly wants to see this world heal should ever suggest more regulation.
We have a lot of these 5 and 9-storey apartment buildings made between 1960 and 1980 and although structurally solid they totally lack insulation. But as always, increasing heating prices drive owners associations to take action and they are getting good results:
New roof with added insulation,
New windows that have better R-value
Wall insulation (that actualy makes these old and gray concrete blocks look pretty attractive with a new plaster cover in pastel colour finish)
Total energy savings on heating=42%!!!
And that means the investment will pay for itself within 3 to 5 years and also with good financing you can actually keep the utility bills at their current level and use the savings to pay for the makeover and after it is paid off, residents can actually enjoy lovered living costs.
One thing though, with new more airtight windows, forced ventilation is a must, but combined with a heat exchanger it can actually increase the energy savings even further.
We have a lot of these 5 and 9-storey apartment buildings made between 1960 and 1980 and although structurally solid they totally lack insulation. But as always, increasing heating prices drive owners associations to take action and they are getting good results:
New roof with added insulation,
New windows that have better R-value
Wall insulation (that actualy makes these old and gray concrete blocks look pretty attractive with a new plaster cover in pastel colour finish)
Total energy savings on heating=42%!!!
And that means the investment will pay for itself within 3 to 5 years and also with good financing you can actually keep the utility bills at their current level and use the savings to pay for the makeover and after it is paid off, residents can actually enjoy lovered living costs.
One thing though, with new more airtight windows, forced ventilation is a must, but combined with a heat exchanger it can actually increase the energy savings even further.
I would like to see the areas greened up too - with more parks & trees. Or even plants growing on the side of the buildings, fed by a waler system.- designed by a Frenchman who is doing showcases in major cities of the world - his name escapes me. As we are so influenced by our physical environment it pays to make it as pleasant as possible.