Constant reflection, evaluation, and improvement.
It is worth highlighting that the climate emergency is happening today, and so it is now that we need to reduce carbon emissions that produce global warming.We cannot wait 20 or 40 years for the benefits of more efficient new buildings.
This is the main reason why it is important that we prioritise refurbishment, reusing buildings that already exist..If we account for the decarbonisation of material manufacturing (red dotted line), the difference between the adaptive reuse of buildings and new construction is even greater.. As part of this analysis, we calculated the WLCA using different performance benchmarks to prove that the conclusions would not depend on a specific baseline selected.The results below on the left, are based on LETI 2020/RIBA2025, and the ones on the right are based on LETI 2030/RIBA 2030.
In both cases of adaptive reuse, the light-touch refurbishment and full refurbishment are more advantageous than new construction..It is important to flag that this trend favouring the reuse of buildings does not necessarily apply to every building.
The results will vary depending on the structural and architectural characteristics of the building and its life expectancy.. Whilst carbon emissions are a key point of decision when considering adaptive reuse, other factors, such as the resilience of the grid, the impact on fuel poverty and wellbeing, the adaptability of the building for a new use (for example converting offices to residential) need to be quantified and added into the discussion..
Refurbishing buildings for a more sustainable future.Design to Value.
, platforms (P-DfMA), process simulation, and techno-economic analysis..He has worked on international projects that include large and small molecule upstream and downstream pharmaceutical manufacturing, consumer goods, R&D and QC laboratories, site masterplans, and wider strategic initiatives.
While predominantly focused on front-end design, Alastair has experience coordinating, managing, and delivering facilities through to completion, and uses this experience to better inform early design decisions.Urko joined Bryden Wood in September 2015 after finishing his Master’s degree in Architecture at the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian, Spain.. Urko’s first experience with the company was working on the E5+ Explore Living project, a modular system that gave him a professional answer to his educational background in modular residential building design..He has been involved in a wide range of projects developed through the use of BIM, including Sugar House Island, Battersea Power Station, large UK government schemes and Equinix.