GHG Reduction Through Historic Preservation​

U.S. Department of Defense

BAE was selected through a competitive grant process to lead a landmark study of the economic decision-making process for construction of facilities on U.S. military bases, in order re-orient the process toward recycling existing older buildings for new uses while also accounting for carbon emissions.

The Department of Defense, one of the largest property owners in the world, has more than 100,000 historic or aging near-historic buildings on its bases. These older buildings are often overlooked as viable candidates for rehab and adaptive reuse, particularly as DoD moves forward to implement green building programs. Specific economic models used by DoD facilities planners to evaluate rehab vs. new construction often inaccurately specify economic and energy variables, leading to “build new” decisions rather than renovation of existing inventory, jeopardizing the historic fabric of military installations and missing recycling opportunities.

BAE led a team of historic architects, and energy efficiency estimators to conduct an in-depth case study demonstration project on three military bases. The study evaluated the rehab potential of actual historic buildings compared to new construction, to demonstrate the carbon reduction and life cycle cost implications of historic rehab. The work culminated with recommendations to integrate carbon emission calculators, green building materials cost estimation resources, and other data into the MILCON decision process. The goal of the study was to highlight how historic buildings could be more accurately considered for renovation for mission-driven uses, utilizing sustainable design to conserve energy, resulting in a reduction to DoD’s carbon footprint while preserving historic and cultural resources.