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Laura Fenton's avatar

I never get tired of that triangle graphic with the hierarchy of net zero design.

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Haile Xiao's avatar

Again, I think we need to differentiate between structural ("We want to keep the building standing and in use") and aesthetic ("We want the building to look as is, forever") preservation. The former avoids upfront carbon emissions, whereas the latter, if anything, increases upfront carbon emissions because it enforces interior insulation which makes the building more vulnerable to external conditions and increases the odds that it will need reconstruction in the future.

If I want to put 6 inches of wood fiber insulation and a layer of stucco on the outside of my 1700s home, why shouldn't I be able to? After all, that's how historical people repaired and protected failing walls. If I want to install exterior storm windows, or heaven forbid, replace the old hung windows with period- (but not necessarily region-) correct tilt/turns, why shouldn't I be able to? Doubly so if wood --> vinyl replacements were allowed, as is the case in my condo building, but hung --> tilt/turn is not.

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