However, detailing is the main challenge and if not properly resolved it can generate sound flanking at the joints which is difficult to resolve without the use of wet trades.
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.
The Climate Emergency requires that we pay more attention to the refurbishment and reuse of existing buildings, with a focus on energy and carbon efficiency..
The main benefit of the refurbishment of the urban fabric is a substantial saving in embodied carbon, but a new building can benefit from lower carbon emissions in operation.. Bryden Wood has carried out a detailed WLCA analysis of a light-tough refurbishment, full refurbishment and new construction for a commercial building based on benchmark from LETI and RIBA in order to understand which option is less carbon intensive after 60 years.for the Ministry of Justice.. Steven also holds a Diploma in Advanced Studies in Multimedia Technology and Virtual Reality and prior to working at Bryden Wood gained five years of experience designing and implementing data-driven web applications.
He is using the skills acquired in this field to standardise the approach to the briefing and decision making processes for architectural projects and develop an evidence-based approach to architectural design..The most advanced implementation of this approach has been for GlaxoSmithKline.
Together with Martin Wood, and John Dyson (Vice President Global Capital Projects) Steven has developed an approach, called the ‘Front End Factory’, that has been in use by GSK for about two years now to make high level strategic decisions about all their capital investments worldwide..Recently, Steven also obtained a Diploma in Advanced Architectural Studies (The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London).