Sustainable renewal of the everyday modern

Abstract

Listed or not, many Modern-era buildings deserve our appreciation for their architecturalmerit, whether it be for the social developments that these buildings represent or for the innovative technologies applied and used in their making. Early preservation projects of Modern ‘icons’ carried out in the 1980s–1990s provided valuable information about Modern-era materials and technologies. Professional debate on the preservation approaches for modern buildings and the development of particular research methodologies has since developed further, and conclusions are now available to assist us in our efforts for the preservation of everyday Modern buildings. The key to the preservation and continued (re)use of such structures is the issue of climate control, which is inseparably linked to the repair and upgrade of the ‘light’ facades that are emblematic of many buildings of the Modern era. This issue is increasingly topical in view of the challenges we face in terms of energy savings and sustainability. Various approaches can be distinguished and compared to assist in the decision-making needed to find a balanced solution for the continued use of buildings of this era.