Preserving our build environment for resilience
Walk through Old City in Philadelphia or Beacon Hill in Boston and you’ll find structures that predate the country itself yet continue to serve their communities today. These buildings offer more than a window into the past; they point toward a more sustainable future. We rarely talk about what it cost to build them. But that carbon is already spent. Demolishing them wastes it. Preserving them honors it.
Welcome to Part 1 of our 4-part series leading up to #July4th, where we examine how the built environment shapes our national independence and #resilience.
At Onion Flats Architecture, nearly 30 years ago we restored a 200-year-old building in Philadelphia's Old City. What seemed routine became foundational: the most sustainable building is often the one that already exists.
As America approaches its 250th, the buildings around us aren't just history. They're one of our best climate strategies.
Check back next week for Part 2, where we pull back the curtain on closing the affordable housing energy gap.
