Most structures only last 35-60 years, particularly in a region concerned with seismic safety. With structural elements dating back to 1967, The Cannery had reached its time horizon for expected replacement of the structure. Rather than simply replacing the building, however, the design team considered how much in environmental resources was already invested in the original structure and its multiple retrofits. The client sought to preserve not only the aspects of the original structure, but also the evidence that told its story as the region’s first example of adaptive reuse. Reuse of existing structure is one of the most significant ways to reduce the embodied environmental impacts of construction.

EcoCalculator Results:

The EcoCalculator results indicated that preserving The Cannery’s structure was equivalent to:

• saving enough energy to power 500 homes for one year;

• saving the amount of carbon it would take nearly 380,000 trees over 10 years to sequester; and

• avoiding an amount of waste that would fill 2.2 football fields

via The Cannery, San Francisco | Athena Sustainable Materials Institute.