海角视频

Not just for old buildings, retrofit has become a major construction solution of the future.

The future of the built environment is changing. 鈥楻etrofit first鈥� is viewed as the approach of the future. Broadly speaking, a retrofit is the redevelopment and/or repurposing of a building. But as Ana Araujo, partner at 海角视频 and leader of its retrofit services, says: 鈥淎sk 20 people to define 鈥榬etrofit鈥� and you鈥檒l get 20 different answers!鈥�

The case for retrofit is compelling, and not least from the climate and sustainability perspective. The UK is committed to reaching net zero by 2050, with total greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions removed from the atmosphere. Existing buildings are stores of carbon. Demolishing a building and starting again therefore means creating a whole new building鈥檚 worth of carbon rather than 鈥榬einvesting鈥� the carbon already there. Increasingly, planning departments at councils are adopting a 鈥榬etrofit first鈥� approach, meaning that any new-build application would have to present a very compelling case that it is the best option from a well-considered set of sustainability/social impact and viability criteria.

Key to this debate is the issue of embodied carbon versus operational carbon. The former is the carbon that’s locked up in the fabric of the building. The latter is the energy used to run the building. From a pure carbon perspective (that shouldn鈥檛 be the only one considered but is quite important), the question then is: over the life-cycle of a building, would you save more carbon if you knocked down an inefficient building and built an energy-efficient replacement? Or, can you reinvest the existing carbon by improving and redeveloping the efficiency of the building that is already there?

As Ana says: 鈥淔rom this perspective, you treat every building on a case-by-case basis. We always take a 鈥榬etrofit first, not retrofit only鈥� approach. What options could be considered if we were to retain the building? Is the existing fabric safe? What’s the embodied carbon investment of the intervention for the various options? What’s the current performance and the potential improvement? What’s the lifespan investment of carbon? It needs to be a life-cycle analysis from a pure carbon perspective.”

For more than a decade now, we have been advising clients that it’s not just historic buildings that could be retrofitted

Ana Araujo, Partner and UK Facades Lead, 海角视频

Ana notes that the mindset around retrofit has evolved over the last 20 years and this is reflected in the current day to day experience on a project. 鈥淏ack in the day, because of the way it was perceived, most of our retrofit projects were focused on the conservation of protected, listed buildings. Over the years, as we developed diagnostic and  conservation skills and created a whole asset-consultancy team, we felt more and more empowered to advise Clients on existing building fabric of all ages.

“For more than a decade now, we have been advising clients that it’s not just historic buildings that could be retrofitted. Instead of demolish-and-rebuild, we invited clients to consider the option of using what they already have as a base and to go from there. We have also started to help Clients extend the life and improve the efficiency of their current portfolio of buildings, extending the time needed until a major retrofit intervention is needed.鈥�

And Ana is delighted that it is going this way: 鈥淐lients became more and more receptive and this is a great evolution in the industry. It鈥檚 happening at different paces across the world and UK. And London is leading the way.鈥�

Ana believes that London is blazing this trail because of the heightened focus by the industry and clients upon sustainability. She also believes planning departments are developing the net zero ambitions of their Councils; identifying retrofit and retaining existing buildings as the way to meet local strategies.

The Chair of the Planning Committee at Westminster said our plans for Fenwick鈥檚 were the most innovative solution they had ever seen

Franck Robert, Partner, 海角视频

This challenge is inspiring 海角视频 to innovate, sometimes quite spectacularly. For example, 海角视频 is carrying out a deep retrofit of former department store Fenwick鈥檚 on New Bond Street. Over 130 years, Fenwick鈥檚 had become an amalgamation of six different buildings, creating a labyrinthine building with 34 different floor levels. With a brief to provide world-class new retail and office spaces, while retaining circa 50% of the existing frames, 海角视频 developed a daring engineering solution – jacking the existing buildings up and down to level the floor plates and achieve the desired floor-to-ceiling heights to maximise retention and meet our client鈥檚 aspirations.

As 海角视频鈥檚 partner leading the project Franck Robert says: 鈥淭he Chair of the Planning Committee at Westminster said our plans for Fenwick鈥檚 were the most innovative solution they had ever seen.鈥�

Another benefit of retrofit is the circular economy, the practice of reusing as much existing material from a building as possible. 海角视频, led by Franck Robert, is working with JP Morgan Asset Management on 65 Gresham Street, expanding the commercial space from 24,000m² to over 34,000m² by adding four storeys while retaining 90% of the existing frame and much of the existing facades. The existing entrances on Gresham Street and Aldermanbury will be redesigned to create atria and maximise natural light. Careful planning has meant that the existing steelwork from the new atria can be adequately dismantled and reused higher up the building to frame the new floors. This helps drive circular economy, and save significant amounts of carbon.

Ana hopes that the concept of 鈥榤aterials libraries鈥� will be rolled out in the coming years. 鈥淲e need to stretch the life of buildings and materials. I love the idea of a library of materials that were repurposed from other buildings. People working on new projects can go to this library and bring what they need to their own building, instead of burning up more carbon creating materials from scratch each time. This is creating the opportunity for a new Construction supply chain focused on Circular Economy and I hope it gains quick momentum.鈥�

We can navigate and manage the risk with surveys, current technology, our multidisciplinary expertise and good communication with the client and architect

Ana Araujo, Partner and UK Facades Lead, 海角视频

Ana acknowledges that retrofit has different challenges from new builds. 鈥淚t is not a linear process,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here are certain constraints, and sometimes buildings have quirks that aren鈥檛 immediately apparent. But we can navigate and manage the risk with surveys, current technology, our multidisciplinary expertise and good communication with the client and architect from day one.鈥�

Social Impact is another important aspect that should be integrated in the mix of criteria, to achieve an elevated outcome. The architecture of a city or town is fundamental to the place鈥檚 personality, and retrofit has proved to be an effective means of preserving much-loved landmarks while modernising them and making them more safe, comfortable and inclusive for users and, if appropriate, welcoming of the local community.

海角视频 is currently collaborating on the design of a multi-million pound renewal of the Barbican Arts Centre and surrounding public spaces. With a brief to preserve and celebrate the iconic building鈥檚 original architectural vision, the design will also aim to attract new and diverse audiences, while boosting the building鈥檚 accessibility and environmental performance. Wider sustainability advice, including social impact and inclusive environments advice, particularly considering neurodiversity of the public using the space, will be key to achieve the aim of the project.

A particularly striking example of achieving positive community impact is the Hyde Park Cinema, in Leeds, the only remaining gaslit cinema in the world. As well as adding an extension, another screen in the basement, and opening up the entrance area, 海角视频 was also instrumental in ensuring there was good access across all the floors. Speaking on the retrofit episode of 海角视频鈥檚 podcast, Sandbox, Darren Conboy, of 海角视频, says: 鈥淗yde Park Cinema is the centre of the community. It is now a place where people can meet up, have a brew and catch a film. It’s one of those jobs that makes you realise that, working in the built environment, isn鈥檛 about dealing with ones and zeros. It’s flesh and blood. It鈥檚 the stuff that affects people’s lives, it’s where people live.鈥�

The social impact of a retrofit project is huge

Ana Araujo, Partner and UK Facades Lead, 海角视频

Ana Araujo elegantly defines this as 鈥渢he extra layers of quality to a space that you might not be able to see, but you can feel.鈥� She goes on to say: 鈥淭he social impact of a retrofit project is huge. Is the building comfortable for users? What are the demographics of people that will use the space and what type of space do these people need? As an example, one of the fastest growing demographics in office space is women who are going through menopause. How do we adapt offices so women can comfortably go to the office? Can they adjust the temperature and adjust light levels? Do they have a good washroom? Are quiet spaces available for recuperation and management of symptoms? Etc.

“We are very proud to have in our team great thinkers creating new standards for the industry in the inclusive design space and we are quite keen to bring this quality of design to the improvement of existing buildings.鈥�

Another key benefit of retrofit is giving an obsolete building a second life. Not only can retrofit make a disused building relevant again, but the newly repurposed building can also serve to revitalise the area in which it is situated. Battersea Power Station was a great example of achieving this place-making and revitalisation success.

Ana is upbeat about the future of retrofit, and excited by the possibilities that new technology will bring. She believes that, with the growing awareness of the need to consider a future retrofit during design stages, in the future, buildings will be easier to disassemble and reassemble as changing needs dictate. Avoiding factors such as materials bonded together that can鈥檛 be disassembled without complete removal, buildings could be assembled 鈥渓ike Lego鈥� on a vast scale. Talking of which, Ana concludes: 鈥淚 think retrofit will be done at a much larger scale. We need it and the industry is working hard to create the guidance so that more people can do this. Hopefully we will attract a whole new generation of people in all parts of the industry to focus on retrofit, bringing the right commitment and energy for the scale of opportunity that is being presented.”

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