海角视频

Re-invigorating the past: How decades of innovation in retrofit, refurbishment, and restoration are shaping the buildings of the future.  

Whether buildings are stunning heritage venues which have stood for hundreds of years, or newer buildings from the last decade, they are all embedded into the fabric of our towns and cities across the UK.  

When it comes to extending a building鈥檚 life span, retrofit is key. With carbon savings and re-invigorating much loved buildings for modern-day use at the fore, 鈥榬etrofit first鈥� is the anticipated approach for the future.  

In Episode.06 of 鈥楽andbox鈥�, we explored how retrofit is adapting our UK built environment for the better, from regenerating buildings, areas and contributing to the circular economy.  

Joining our regular host Andy Duncan for this discussion were:   

Ana Araujo, Partner and UK Facades leader, 海角视频. In the episode, Ana discussed the notion of a 鈥榣ibrary of materials鈥�, and how retrofit contributes to the circular economy.  

Darren Conboy, Associate, Structures, joins Ana as our second 海角视频 expert in this episode. Darren discussed the embodied carbon aspects of retrofit, and how well-loved buildings, such as Hyde Park Picture House, have been repurposed for future-use.  

Finally, our special guest for this episode was Gillian Darley OBE, renowned architectural historian and broadcaster. Gillian鈥檚 career in conservation includes work with organisations like Save Britain鈥檚 Heritage and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). Her extensive writing has focused on building reuse, heritage conservation, and architectural history. In this episode, Gillian provided a perspective on how retrofit can lead to the regeneration of entire areas.  

Read more below and then listen to the podcast 鈥� and why not listen to the episode in your favourite retrofit building鈥� 

Key takeaways from the episode    

• Defining Retrofit: Retrofit has changed so much over the last 20 years, so how can it be defined and why are some definitions different to others? From keeping a building relevant to revitalising part of a place鈥檚 landscape, our panel discussed just how far retrofit has come.
• Environmental Arguments for Retrofitting: Retrofitting often reduces the embodied and operational carbon cost compared to demolishing and constructing new buildings. However, not all retrofits are necessarily more sustainable than new builds. Factors like embodied carbon and operational energy efficiency need consideration, requiring a project-specific analysis.聽
• Creating a Circular Economy: The panel discussed how retrofitting聽helps the circular economy as many projects now look to consider the reuse of existing materials, instead of discarding them.聽
• Heritage Conservation as a Catalyst for Community Revitalisation: As retrofitting grows, legislation must evolve to ensure quality and address issues with buildings already affected by substandard modifications. Gillian highlighted the importance of conservation legislation, not only for prominent buildings but also for modest ones that may otherwise be neglected. Darren discussed a 海角视频 project – Hyde Park Picture House project in Leeds 鈥� which is an iconic cinema, cherished by the community, that was recently transformed by our experts into a hub for local residents.聽聽

• Community Engagement in Retrofitting: The panel emphasised the role of community involvement in preserving and repurposing beloved local buildings. Darren noted that as stakeholders, community members have a voice in the planning process, especially when well-supported projects emerge that prioritise retrofitting over demolition.聽聽聽
• Looking Towards the Future of Retrofit: The panel discussed their thoughts on the future of retrofit 鈥� from taking learnings from historic cues to the introduction of new materials. Ana Araujo noted how we need t practice building maintenance in the same way we do with other assets, such as cars, saying: 鈥淲hen we buy a car, we make that initial capital investment, but we already know and we’re already saving for the gas or the petrol or the electricity we need to put in that car, and that we will need to service it. There’s already this plan of maintenance that we are very used to and very good at taking on in a way that we don’t bring to buildings, and buildings need exactly that.鈥澛�

With the topic of retrofit becoming ever more important as we move towards reaching the UK鈥檚 Net Zero goals, and with many local authorities, such as Westminster, taking a 鈥榬etrofit-first鈥� approach, if you missed the episode, it鈥檚 worth catching up. The discussion goes beyond technical details to address how we, as a society, can not only save our beloved buildings, but keep them relevant for today and many years to come. 

You can find all episodes to date on our dedicated podcast page , and find 鈥楽andbox鈥� on all the usual podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify as well as YouTube. 

Use #BHSandbox on social media to keep up with the conversation. 

Happy listening 鈥� don鈥檛 forget to share 鈥楽andbox鈥� with your friends and network!聽