EarthCraft Sustainable Preservation Program: The Nation’s First Green Building Certification Program for Historic Buildings

Green building certification program

The EarthCraft Sustainable Preservation (ECSP) program was designed concurrently with the green rehabilitation of historic Rhodes Hall, headquarters of The Georgia Trust.

EarthCraft is Southface’s industry-leading building certification program for the renovation of historic buildings focused on health, resource efficiency, and high performance. The Sustainable Preservation program is designed to celebrate historic features while providing guidance on design elements to optimize resource efficiency.

Projects will receive technical guidance from building science and preservation experts, helping to achieve a customized solution for high performing, historic buildings. The program is specifically intended for buildings with historic designations or structures located within historic neighborhoods.

Benefits of EarthCraft Sustainable Preservation

Working within the framework of historic preservation best practices and green building standards the ECSP program:

  • Supports the triple bottom line framework; ‘environmental’ – diverting from the landfill the waste associated with demolishing a building, ‘economic’ – creating a building with lower operating cost, and ‘social’ – preserving the cultural value of historic architecture
  • Provides a roadmap for identifying energy efficient systems and building shell upgrades that are more appropriate for historic structures
  • Offers a green building certification that overlays with the historic tax credit review process
  • Addresses the unique features of historic buildings
  • Maximizes gains in efficiency and overall building performance that often are missed within the traditional framework of the historic tax credit requirements
For project registration inquiries, please contact Amelia Godfrey, Program Manager, EarthCraft at 404.604.3664 | agodfrey@southface.org.

EarthCraft Sustainable Preservation Program Documents

Guidelines

Content presented in these guidelines is intended to assist pilot projects in reaching their sustainability goals and evaluate the need for a green building program focused on the specific requirements of the renovation of historic buildings in a sustainable manner.

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Worksheet

Use the Sustainable Preservation Program Worksheet to get point totals for items like Construction Waste Management, Resource Efficiency, Durability & Moisture Management, Indoor Air Quality, Energy Efficient Systems, Water Efficiency, Innovation and more.

Download the Zipped Excel

Worksheet – Residential

Use this worksheet for single-family residential projects.

Download the Zipped Excel

Rhodes Hall

Built in 1904, Rhodes Hall has been an Atlanta landmark for generations. Learn more about the sustainable rehabilitation of Rhodes Hall. Visit Rhodes Hall and see why it is a shining example of preservation and sustainability.

Tour information