Retrofit 24 launches at the Building Centre in London

Retrofit 24: The Reuse Agenda for Our Commercial, Cultural & Civic Buildings launched at the Building Centre in London this week.

If the built environment is going to meet net zero targets and increase climate resilience, there is an urgent need to decarbonise the UK’s real estate. With around 80% of the buildings that will be here in 2050 already standing, and nearly 25% of the sector’s carbon footprint coming from heating, powering and operating commercial buildings - retrofitting is the best way to address this challenge. But current retrofitting efforts aren’t on track to meet the UK’s ambitious targets.

On display until 31 August, the exhibition and series of talks examine key considerations to help achieve net zero commercial retrofitting, highlighting the benefits and the challenges of delivering commercial retrofit at scale.

Retrofit 24 demonstrates how to achieve improvements in energy efficiency across all sectors, through examples of recent commercial, cultural and civic retrofit projects. The Retrofit 24 exhibition and talks programme cover: 

• The role of product and design innovation in retrofitting at scale 
• Why collaboration between landlords, developers and occupiers is vital 
• How data can help to identify solutions
• Ways in which commercial buildings can be re-purposed to create homes or other new functions
• The role of public sector retrofitting in enhancing civic pride and cultural heritage 
• The practicalities of retrofitting historic buildings
• The fundamental value of environmental, social and governance (ESG) approaches – not just the bottom line

The exhibition and events programme will see the Building Centre host weekly talks from now until August. The first talk, Retrofit Meets: Schools, will be held on 27 March 2024. Chaired by Lara Newman, speakers include Niamh Cronin from van Heyningen and Haward Architects, Lilija Oblecova from ECD Architects Ltd, Jon Ward from Creative Education Trust, and Dave Tiller from Ventrolla.

The panel will provide new insights into retrofit and allow multi-perspective discussion on the opportunities and challenges of retrofitting schools. Panellists will share their thoughts on their latest research and projects, some of which are displayed in the Retrofit 24 exhibition.