Study: Building Reuse Smarter than Building New
New study says it is smarter to renovate existing buildings such as our Dearborn City Hall rather than lionizing fancy new 'green' construction.
It has been interesting to read some of the comments about whether Dearborn should look for a new City Hall rather than repairing the 90-year-old historic building that our city government operates in today.
We still believe making repairs and the necessary updates to the building is money better spent than packing up and spending money to buy a newer building and then spending more to make it suitable for city government offices.
Architecturally, our City Hall is one of the nicest looking buildings in East Dearborn and it deserves to be preserved and updated, just as you would do with a classic automobile.
Which brings us to a recent article we ran across recently in Time magazine. In that article, the magazine reports that making existing buildings “green” is actually a better strategy than constructing a new building.
“Revaluing building reuse is not just an environmental issue, it’s an economic opportunity,” Elizabeth Hider, senior vice president of Green Markets for Skanska, an international construction firm quoted in the article. “One that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil and one that creates American jobs. Because renovation projects use less material, it is good for the environment, but it requires more labor, which has to be local. That’s good for America.”
You can read the full article HERE.
January 30th, 2012 at 8:34 am
While I agree that preservation is a great goal – in general – City Hall is not that great of a building. When I go into the old sections (not the concourse, which is ok) I am taken by how inefficiently the space is laid out. Its all dark and dusty hallways and stairs.
The building dictates the department set-up, not vice versa. Moving folks into space that would accommodate cubes, open floor plans, flex conference rooms – not offices with doors – would be a first step. Ever seen how Michael Bloomberg had his company’s office laid out? Good model.
Imagine if the building department hadn’t been squirreled away in a warren of a hidey-holes perfect for corruption, but one big room where everyone could watch and know what everyone else was doing.
That and trying to heat and cool it.
January 30th, 2012 at 11:45 am
It is amazing to me that as the City is crying “We are broke, we need more taxation, we have to close pools and libraries, and cut services”, they would have the gall to even suggest this.
The building is old. It is the same age as most of the houses in Dearborn. It needs to be brought up to code. Here’s an idea. Let the department of Building and Safety take a good look at it and see the violations that normal people see.
If the building is too old for the City and they want to move into more modern and efficient surroundings, maybe, the people of Dearborn should think the same way and move to cities with newer housing. What’s good for the City is good for the residents of that City.
If they want to move, let them show us that they have a buyer for the present City Hall and the School Administration building and that the money that they will bring in for those buildings will totally cover the cost of the new building, the renovation of such and moving expenses.
Then, maybe, the people of Dearborn will accept this nonsense.
January 30th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Mr. Deep, I share your affection for the beauty of City Hall, and for tradition. I guess a centrally-located administrative office is not a bad idea, though. As ‘tdogg’ says, the monies we get by selling the two current properties should offset a lot of the moving and refurbishment costs, or it won’t have my support. It took so long to have a viable use for the Montgomery Wards corner, though, do we really have a buyer for the City Hall campus already?
January 31st, 2012 at 9:18 am
While I believe that supporting local business is important, small business owners need to be aware that they have a hand to play here too. The economic realties are such that internet and big box stores will always crush the little guys on pricing. In order to thrive, the small business needs to provide something that the big businesses can’t or won’t provide and that usually comes in the form of outstanding customer service.
January 31st, 2012 at 10:54 pm
Posted in the wrong article, but you are right.
I agree with Deep’s recommendations of 222 (great service!) and Dearborn Music.
I personally love shopping and dining in West Dearborn, and I’m not going to let the paid parking make any dif.
February 1st, 2012 at 11:42 am
Tdogg you are right. If the building dept. was wide open, guys like myself and Norwood wouldn’t have gotten into all that trouble.
February 3rd, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Don’t shoot the messenger, however, the mayor stated at a DFNA meeting on 02/01/12 that they only way the city will pursuing this is if the city either breaks even or comes out ahead financially with it.
February 5th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
The mayor has asked the council to approve $23,700 for a feasibility regarding the move of the city hall. Apparently the school board is not to sure if they want to participate in this move and said they will conduct their own survey. I’m assuming that this $23,700 is just a drop in the bucket.