Abstract
This paper addresses energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and water consumption in historic buildings. Building sustainability has become a worldwide issue from new construction to existing buildings. Historic buildings make up a large part of existing buildings throughout the world, making it essential that research is done to provide these buildings with sustainable options. The areas of special concerns in renovating historic buildings are improving indoor environmental quality, indoor air quality, water efficiency, and energy efficiency while maintaining the historical value of these buildings. This paper presents a case study of the Smith Plantation in Metro Atlanta, Georgia. The study includes 1) field verification and existing condition assessment of the thermal comfort, energy consumption, and indoor air quality. 2) Building information modeling was used to simulate the energy performance of the buildings as well as determining the CO<sub>2</sub> footprint. These models were calibrated and verified against field readings. 3) the simulation models were used to generate design and renovation alternatives to improve the energy efficiency of these buildings as well as reducing the CO<sub>2</sub> footprint without impacting the originality of these buildings. This study will provide general design guidelines and renovation options for historic buildings to reduce energy consumption and creating a smaller carbon footprint while maintaining the authenticity of the buildings.
Highlights
With approximately 1.4 million properties on the National Register of Historic Places [1] of those, there are about 67,000 individual historic buildings [2] when including historic districts, the number of historic buildings increases significantly
In 2018, the registry added 510 buildings and 304 districts, fourteen of the buildings and seventeen of the districts were located in Georgia [1]
Determining historical significance is done by the connection of the structures to events and people, as well as architectural importance [4]
Summary
With approximately 1.4 million properties on the National Register of Historic Places [1] of those, there are about 67,000 individual historic buildings [2] when including historic districts, the number of historic buildings increases significantly. In the state of Georgia, there are 2,300 historic homes and 2,000 historic districts [3]. In 2018, the registry added 510 buildings and 304 districts, fourteen of the buildings and seventeen of the districts were located in Georgia [1]. Criteria for being placed on the national registry are the building’s age, must be a minimum of fifty years old, and significance to history. Along with the building’s age and significance to history, a building must retain the architectural features equivalent to the established era of historical significance [4]. The inclusion of historic buildings in the sustainable movement is apparent based on the registry numbers alone
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