For a time, as I will tell anyone who will listen, I lived in England when in my late 20s to early 30s.  It was one of the best times of my life.   There were many cultural adjustments to be made, of course.  But, one of the ones that I didn’t mind making was the presence of grand, and centuries old architecture that I could see up close any time I wanted to.  This was particularly striking while in Central London, where many of the most famous sites in the country are within walking distance of each other.

One such building of course is the Royal residence in the Capitol, the venerable Buckingham Palace.  What a grand building!  And located right at the end of what I can only guess is the straightest road in London – The Mall (pronounced MAL, not “maul”) – and quite a pleasant site to see after a leisurely walk through St. James Park.   The palace was built in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham and acquired by King George III in 1761.  Since then, it has seen monarchs come and go, and was even bombed no less than seven times during the Blitz in World War II.   It is  an iconic building, a symbol of the British Monarchy.

But, it may be one of the least ‘green’ buildings in London.

This is according to many sources, including publications in mainstream news as well as environmental publications.  The problem is largely about poor insulation and the resulting excessive heat leakage in Buckingham Palace.  Acording to Treehugger 2.2 million pounds sterling is spent annually on utility bills, which is over $4 million dollars, roughly. That’s a pretty hefty burden, not only financially, but on the resources it draws upon.

All of this gets me thinking about history, the preservation of traditions, and the forging of new traditions.  I think that there is often a dichotomy that dictates that old traditions must die to make way for the new. And in some cases, this is true, as attitudes and priorities of a culture begin to change, often in conjunction with the rise of new technologies.  In the case of Buckingham Palace, and with many other buildings like it all over the world, the building symbolize a rich history.  The beauty and cultural importance of it remains undiminished.  But, this building needs to be brought up to speed in order to have a life in a newly imagined future.  This is where old and new meet in order to be as much a part of the future as it is in a glorified past.  This trend is as much a part of history as anything.

Steps are being made to make sure that old traditions of grandiose architecture, and the new traditions of sustainability will meet.   A recent accessment of Buckingham Palace by Atkins engineering and design group consultants Faithful and Gould has shown that an update to the palace’s insulation can improve the heat leakage problem by as much as 90%, at a cost of $320 million.  A good deal of this would be in the replacement of single-glazed windows (760 of them!),  modern heat-recovery systems, and grey and rainwater harvesting systems.

The majesty of the building itself is preserved for all time, potentially extended by the implementation and use of new technologies that make it as ‘smart’ as it is beautiful.  And in this new age of sustainability, the possibilities for generations upon generations to reflect on the history for which it stands is wide open in the 21st century and onward.

We are amused.

Cheers!

Rob.