“Better buildings equal better lives”
Historic preservation is at the heart of the 2020 European Leadership Awards for green buildings.
The US Green Building Council (USGBC), the organization that grants the LEED certification for green buildings, has recently announced the recipients of the 2020 edition of the European Leadership Award:
- COIMA — Italy
- Ecover — Belgium
- International Olympic Committee (IOC) — Switzerland
- Palazzo del Monte di Pietà — Italy
- Union Investment Real Estate — Germany
USGBC’s Leadership Awards recognize those advancing the development of sustainable, healthy and resilient buildings, cities and communities in regions around the world. This year’s European awardees have made significant strides in green building design and construction, innovative waste management solutions, and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance.
Among the European winners, the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà in Padua, in the Veneto region of Italy, whose “impressive restoration and LEED Gold certification is a signal that preserving history can also contribute to a sustainable future,” according to USGBC.
“The building captures 500 years of Italian history and culture,” says USGBC.
The building, winner of the 2020 USGBC Leadership Award for Existing Buildings, is the oldest historical bank building in the world and underwent a complex restoration that also required the people inside to modify their behaviors. From the use of water to the way people move throughout the space, from heating to recycling, the efforts undertaken by the team prioritize the well-being of both people and the planet.
“The Palazzo Del Monte di Pietà is the oldest historical banking building in the world to reach this level of certification,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, USGBC President and CEO. “Debunking a common mainstream misconception that greener buildings must be newer buildings, the team behind Palazzo Del Monte di Pietà’s restoration has improved conservation of water and heat, and changed the way waste is recycled.”
Ramanujam explains how the restoration and preservation of this historic site in paduea is also contributing to “a transformation of mindset, of behavioral patterns, of accountability, and for a renewed commitment to the community and each other,” even given the hard circumstance of the pandemic we’re still going through.
“With everything going on in that country and our world right now, the architects, developers, and business leaders in Italy are focusing on restoration,” USGBC President and CEO points out.
“The educational leaders in Italy are focusing on reshaping generational awareness — he conitnued — And together, they are creating both the physical and psychological infrastructure for a sustainable future.”
“Better buildings equal better lives,” stresses Ramanujam.
From old to new… The Olympic House, the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, was another of the European USGBC recipients, winning the 2020 Leadership Award for New Construction.
IOC officially opened Olympic House — one of the most sustainable buildings in the world — in June 2019. The inauguration was the highlight of the very emblematic and emotional celebrations to mark the 125th anniversary of the IOC, which was founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin.
The building “embodies the IOC’s commitment to sustainability and received the rigorous LEED Platinum certification,” according to USGBC.
The futuristic site also shows how the old and the new can cohabitate. The new headquarters is situated in the middle of a public park, next to the 18th-century Château de Vidy, a prior headquarters for the IOC.
“Incorporating the historic setting of the park, was a crucial aspect of the project,” according to the architects of the new structure at the Danish architecture firm 3XN. “The neighboring Château de Vidy, a building included in the Canton de Vaud’s architectural census, has been renovated, with the original facades restored to their original condition.”
The architects explains: “The resultant design respects both the Château’s legacy and the park setting, establishing seamless transitions between the green public space and Olympic House. The positioning of the Headquarters on the east side, combined with the dense grove of trees to the west, results in a reinterpretation of classical symmetry using the Château as the central axis.”
About Adventures in Preservation (AiP)
Adventures in Preservation (AiP) is a non-profit connecting people and preservation through enriching cultural heritage travel and hands-on education. AiP was founded in 2001 by two women with a great love of historic buildings and a strong desire to travel and understand the world. While perusing the travel section of the Boulder Bookstore, the Volunteer Vacation section suddenly brought everything into focus. Judith Broeker and Jamie Donahoe combined their goal of saving historic buildings with the concept of experiential travel, and created AiP’s hands-on preservation vacations.
Work started on several sites in the U.S., and as word spread, requests for help began to pour in from around the world, underscoring the great potential of using volunteers to restore historic buildings. In supporting community-based preservation initiatives, we discovered that our love of old buildings could translate into environmental and economic sustainability for communities.
AiP is picking up the pace! As our hands-on experiential travel becomes more popular, we have new projects, new partners and initiatives to keep you excited and involved.
