VIDEO | Retrofit, renew, reimagine
The built environment is a major contributor to global carbon emissions, and refurbishing and retrofitting existing structures is crucial to achieving net zero targets. This roundtable, convened by DeSimone Consulting Engineering, brought together developers, architects, and real estate experts to discuss the pros and cons of breathing new life into a building.
The urgency to decarbonise is colliding with a multitude of practical hurdles, and a heightened awareness of embodied carbon alongside operational carbon is making the industry think beyond simple energy efficiency.
The conversation ranged from the importance of balancing modernisation with preserving architectural heritage, the need for early engagement with professionals to understand existing building structures, the challenges of retrofitting non-listed heritage assets, and, of course, the importance of community engagement.
Darren Paine, principal at DeSimone, said: “From our perspective, it falls into two kind of groups: the office retrofit buildings that are coming to the end of a maintenance life, that need upgrading to new current standards, and then the listed buildings – and they both present a similar challenge in for us.
“The question, ‘how we can repurpose them’ and ‘how we can monitor the embodied carbon’ is really in understanding how those existing buildings function. What is the existing structure? How is it currently working?
“We want to come in early to a scheme, so that we’re informing the client with key decisions…
“Part of why you work on these sort of heritage buildings is you you see the life they have… It’s something we’re really passionate about. To deliver something that works for the community and the people around it.”
Highlighting the need for a legislative push, the conversation explored the need for mandatory retrofitting to meet net zero targets, the challenges of retrofitting certain buildings, and the financial risks and lack of capable contractors for retrofit projects.
Other topics of note was the value and social impact of retrofit projects, alongside embodied carbon and the need for data sharing, the need for a holistic approach considering both financial and performance aspects of retrofit projects, and the importance of creating sociable spaces.
Participants
- Darren Paine, principal at DeSimone Consulting Engineering
- Ian Walsh, director at Cartwright Pickard
- Jonathan Wilson, founder of Citu
- Iain Campbell, partner at Gardiner & Theobald
- Andy James, director at OMI Architects
- Gary Bulloch, director at Savills
- Sian Stanhope, development manager at Urban Splash
- Jessica Herman, head of ESG and sustainability at Caddick Group
- Richard Monksmith, Director at Hoare Lea
- Lorna Crane, associate at Purcell
- Chaired by Sally Gibson, editor of Place Yorkshire
More information
You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North YouTube channel. Learn more about DeSimone.
