In Praise of Older Condo Buildings

January 2016

Newer is not always better, particularly when it comes to condo buildings.

Newer condominium buildings are unlikely to last as long as older condominium buildings due to changes in building standards.

High-rise residential towers built in the 1970s were built to standards that often did not give as much consideration to energy consumption. Many of these buildings included minimal insulation and no central air conditioning.

What these buildings did include was a basic framework that, if properly protected and maintained, could possibly survive for hundreds of years.

Such buildings may be considered energy inefficient by today’s standards but can be updated to meet current standards. Doing so may reduce energy requirements by up to 50%.