I read an article in The Dallas Morning News Sunday that was focused on the implosion and demolition of Texas Stadium in Irving near Dallas. The stadium was 39 years old. Much of the article was pointing towards the pointless exercise of preserving historic buildings and structures, the fact that the stadium was, “tired,” and, “old.” When I read this I was aghast! Thirty-nine years old, not to mention, “Historic,” made me; in my 50s feel older than ancient.
The article went on to say that we seem to, “have a fetish for old buildings these days.” Which should have led into the one important point missing from the article, the future of the United States … SUSTAINABILITY. Building on the past (you like that Hanson Building Products team?!?!?) by preserving buildings and structures for their historical interest is one thing but planning, designing and building structures to be fit for purpose through the passage of time is an entirely different issue.
Texas Stadium certainly should have fit into this category and a magnificent facility of this kind to have a lifespan of only 39 years is disgraceful. (My views of the Death Star are implied in the previous statement.) Nothing lasts forever, nothing lasts for its intended lifespan without care, maintenance and some investment and to admit that because a structure is tired and dirty (and yes hot) it needs replacing is indeed promoting how the rest of the world perceives the U.S., “a throw away society.”
It flies in the face of sustainability (if it had one) and if we are serious about creating a better world for our children’s children then we have to start building for a longer term future. It has been proven that concrete structures will last for many thousands of years, when cared for, not just 39.
The article then went on to quote other buildings that have been demolished like the, “Reunion Arena which has been reduced to a giant dirt pile.” This is just another example of unsustainable planning and building.
The United States is a fantastic country in many, many ways but it has to look outside of its borders to other parts of the world and start to build a more sustainable infrastructure. There are buildings and structures all over the world that have been built with future generations in mind. Their lifespan has served communities to the fullest. The, “I’m fed up with it, it is tired and dirty, so let’s knock it down,” syndrome simply has to stop (further translation for Dallasites ~ no more McMansions in the Park Cities and M Streets, even if it is good for my business short term, it is not in the long term).
We can’t legislate for this alone, it’s important to win over the hearts and minds of the people to change our, “throw away society,” culture. To help the population create a better world everyone must play a part. Unfortunately this didn’t make it into TDMN article. I always look for a balanced view when I read articles of this sort and sad to say sustainability didn’t get a mention. So The Dallas Morning News, let’s hear more about sustainability. Let’s hear more questions being asked about the sustainability of some current projects in the pipeline. Let’s hear more about the products and materials that exist today used in construction in and around this city. Let’s do all we can to ensure not only Dallas but also the U.S. moves from great to even greater by ensuring we are creating a sustainable future.
Sustainability is not just a fad; it needs to become a part of our culture. For better building! We need to build to last. We need to plan for the future. We need to take more care of our environment than we have ITHOE.