Workshops

Old is the New Green was the first and largest event in Norwalk Preservation Trust’s 2010 workshop series, a panel discussion held June 5 at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum. It featured historical architect Lee Levey, preservation contractor Jeffrey Meier, historic home sustainability expert Rebecca Williams from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and architectural historian Christopher Wigren from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.

Each speaker addressed aspects of upgrading and greening a historic home from their professional points of view, followed by a lively question-and-answer period with the audience.

The second Your Green Old House event in 2010 was a hands-on workshop held June 26 at the Norwalk Public Library, led by historical architect and Silvermine homeowner Lee Levey. Levey presented a guide to saving your historic windows and what to do to make them as weather-tight and energy-efficient as replacements. “One of the problems that historic homeowners face is drafty double-hung windows,” said Levey. “The window manufacturers would have you believe that the only solution is to scrap the old windows and replace them. But the new ones never quite look right on a historic home and, in terms of saving money on heating costs, they don’t return on the investment as much as the companies would have you believe. In many cases, you can make your old windows just as efficient as new ones.”

The third Your Green Old House event in 2010 took place July 17 at the Norwalk Historical Society. This was a workshop led by William Zoeller of Stephen Winter Associates, an expert in insulation using green materials. Stephen Winter Associates is one of the nation’s leading firms in the field of green and sustainable design as well as LEED compliance. Zoeller discussed both the theory and practice of insulating buildings, with special regard to the many insulation options available to the owners of older homes.