There is something — much — to be said for historical accuracy. Architects of the past have left a legacy for us, so we should respect their work. But sometimes this conflicts with efforts toward energy efficiency and renewables. A recent post in the New York Times blog Green Inc. talks about this incongruence, citing failed efforts to double-glaze the windows of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed cottage (in order to keep it warmer and use less energy) as an example of this conflict. 
Al Gore's attempt to install solar panels on his over-70-year-old Nashville home passed, but only on the condition that the panels were out of sight of neighbors. Personally, I think the merits of installing clean energy features and energy-efficiency upgrades on historic homes should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Until we're all running graywater systems in our homes and using wind turbines and solar panels to channel energy, it shouldn't be assumed that historic buildings should make the change. On the other hand, if Frank Lloyd Wright were alive today, he might be a leader in the green building movement.
Do you think historic homes should be exempt from integrating energy-efficient and green energy technologies? Do you think the two can meet halfway? Do you think all buildings should make the move to clean energy?
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Luella
Tory Burch
Clarks
Well I guess I will answer with my expertise here. I am an architect, and we renovate/ restore/ reuse historic buildings. We have turned warehouses into apartments, historic mansions into college facilities, and many other things. I am also studying to become LEED certified and have worked on a project going thru the process.
Keep in mind that the number one issue to historic preservationists is the exterior charachter of the building. They do not want solar panels on the street facing side of a mansard roof. They don't want reflective glazing in the window panes and they don't want you to remove/ replace things just for energy efficency.
There are ways to be energy efficient w/o disturbing the exterior of a facility. More efficient Mechanical/ Heating systems, Properly venting a facility, purchasing "green power", Reducing the amount of exterior and interior lighting, etc. I could name a thousand.
If you are familiar with windows in a Frank Lloyd Wright building, they are incredibly unique, and in some cases, irreplicable, so putting in new windows, or trying to augment the existing ones to add another pane of glass would be a near disaster. The way that they add an insulated glazing unit to an existing wood window, is to rout out the window frame so that the frame has a deeper glazing pocket, allowing a thicker glass assembly. Some windows can not accomodate this added thickness, and sometimes mullions and muntins have to be replaced. This is not acceptable on a building like a Frank house.
I can see both points of view, but like I said, there are many other ways to be "green" and even get LEED certified while sticking to the Secretary of Interior Standards. Most of these buildings have gotten federal tax credits for their renovations, so sticking to the standards is a requirement.
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