Reusing existing buildings has a key role to play in making our built environment greener and more sustainable.

Refurbishment, renovation, restoration and retrofitting, when applied to existing buildings in our built environment the “Re” factor has a critical, and as yet under prioritised, role to play in supporting our efforts to combat climate change. In very simple terms the carbon footprint created during the construction of an existing building has already happened, and we can’t take it back. However, if that building is then demolished and a new one put in its place both the demolition and new construction process will generate further CO2 emissions. This applies to the manufacture and transportation of the materials as well as the physical construction process itself. Yes, the construction industry is working to become greener, and this will be essential if we are to successfully combat climate change, although demolition will continue to be a wasteful and in many cases unnecessary process.

One significant reason as to why so many buildings are being demolished in the UK comes down to VAT. Currently VAT is charged at the full 20% rate on most refurbishment work, whereas new build activity is zero rated. That’s a massive and seemingly illogical difference, and as a result for many developers it makes demolition a more profitable option. In theory this could be an easy fix for the Chancellor to facilitate, and it would certainly help show a clear commitment to taking proactive measures to combat climate change.

As part of their Retro First campaign, promoting the re-use of existing buildings, Architects Journal are calling for VAT to be lowered or brought down to zero percent for refurbishment projects. To help promote the campaign they have produced a short film, narrated by architect George Clarke, that explains the need to reduce the number of buildings we demolish and instead prioritise retrofitting. Highlighting, why this campaign is so important.

George explains:

“The impacts of Covid-19 are set to drive some significant changes in the way we use our towns and cities, and we know that the built environment has a crucial role to play in mitigating climate change, with nearly 40% of UK carbon emissions coming from our buildings. That's why the #RetroFirst campaign is so timely and so important.  In responding to changes in our use of buildings it is vitally important that we look to repurpose existing buildings, and the carbon embodied in them, first before we consider demolishing them and starting afresh, with all the impacts on climate change that entails.”

Whilst protecting the environment is quite rightly the overriding priority, there’s also a strong case to retain a significant number of existing buildings from all eras as they are part of the historic fabric of our built environment. Undoubtedly, there will always be a case for some buildings to be demolished, however the wrecking ball has swung too far and it has become all too easy for buildings to be removed simply on the basis of cost. Existing buildings have a social value, they tell stories and in many cases add a unique sense of identity to the towns and cities they are located in. A good example of this are the Park Hill flats in Sheffield, built between 1957 and 1961, in 1998 they became the largest Grade II listed building in Europe. I studied in Sheffield during the 1980s and regularly saw the flats casting their imposing hillside presence over the city centre, and at the time they were neglected and had a reputation of being a no-go area. Thankfully, a friend of mine was living in one of the 995 flats which, when I visited, gave me the opportunity to see beyond this reputation and instead experience Park Hill’s innovative design, including the iconic “streets in the sky”.

As a massive, unloved, unashamedly Brutalist building, had it not been listed it would have been all too easy for the Park Hill flats to be demolished and new houses built in its place. Should that have happened Sheffield would have lost a truly unique and iconic example of 20th century architecture. Instead, developers Urban Splash took on board the challenge to bring Park Hill back to life. Their regeneration work has seen it transform to become a highly desirable place to live, and by respecting the original design and bringing the buildings back to their “box fresh” appearance Sheffield has a unique landmark building the City can be proud of.

Founder and Chair of Urban Splash, Tom Bloxham, MBE explains the motivation behind wanting to bring this icon back to life:

“The redevelopment of Park Hill has been a challenge, a joy, and a big talking point with so many polarising views over how it should be redeveloped.

“When I was a kid, people were knocking down beautiful Victorian mansions as they had bad electrics, draft windows and damp. When we started Urban Splash, people were knocking down Victorian warehouses; they told us would never let, but we showed the way to restore and reuse them – just as we are doing at Park Hill.

“I believe that the most sustainable building is the one that already exists, and like other projects before it, we believed in Park Hill from the very start. We saw the potential of the Brutalist concrete frame, with a vision to turn it into a thriving new cultural quarter for Sheffield – something we are well on the way to doing, with hundreds of people now living here, as well as businesses, a restaurant, a nursery, and art gallery.

“Bearing all of the hallmarks of an Urban Splash project – we’ve won more than 440 awards for redeveloping places like this over the past 25 years – Park Hill has a rich history. From the highs of the mid-century, the lows of the 90s to becoming what The Times now ranks as the sixth best place to live in the UK and somewhere nominated for the RIBA Stirling Prize.

“We’ve taken our time, with a considered approach that would viably bring this building back to life, preserving its history, sensitively restoring its listed concrete frame, celebrating the colour delineations which had made it so architecturally iconic, and finding a way to inject contemporary design features which would appeal to both new residents and to those already living at Park Hill.

“I’m really proud of what’s been achieved so far and now, on the building’s 60th birthday and the cusp of the completion of the next 195 homes here, I am looking forward to Park Hill’s next chapter.”

Here in Wales, most recently the future of Swansea’s Brutalist Civic Centre has been in the headlines when it was included in the Top 10 Buildings at Risk List compiled by the Twentieth Century Society. In a prime location and having been well maintained by the Council, this building offers the opportunity to be retained and repurposed as part of the City’s wider urban regeneration programme.

With an emphasis currently being placed on the need to regenerate town and city centres it seems fair to assume that an increasing number of buildings will have their future brought into question, particularly if renovation or repurposing continues to be seen as a more costly option. Although, in terms of combating climate change the cost of our actions to the environment also need to be factored into the equation, and this will become increasingly relevant to all aspects of our built environment.

What, how and where we build will inevitably come under greater scrutiny from an environmental perspective. For the construction sector in Wales this will require fundamental changes that should include finding ways to repurpose existing buildings to become part of our sustainable future.