Climate change and addressing the challenges is a major topic at the moment. Countries all around the world are setting ambitious targets to reduce emissions and make everything better on the environment. As some of the most creative architects London can offer, we appreciate the huge role our industry and construction in general has to play here. But, are people focusing on the right things as much as they should be?

One of the most interesting targets is from the UN. They are aiming to achieve net zero by 2050. However, the problem is many of the buildings that will make up the built environment by the middle of the century will already exist. So, how can we make it so they will suit our needs?

The easiest and quickest option here is demolition. However, that is a dirty word for anyone with a focus on achieving the best results for the environment. Demolishing a building is massively wasteful. It destroys resources, releases a huge amount of carbon, and can also result in the loss of character and history.

M&S Oxford Street

A recent proposal for the landmark M&S building on Oxford Street, London perfectly illustrates this issue. There are plans to demolish the 1929 building to replace it with a modern ten storey block of office and retail space.

The proposals have been met with a huge backlash. One of the main arguments is the demolition would release 40,000 tonnes of CO2. That is a huge amount from a single project. In fact, with extreme retrofitting to cut carbon emissions in the whole area, it would take decades to counter the impact.

The counter argument is it would be much better to do a deep retrofit of the building. This could transform it for new use but save a huge amount of resources, leaving as much carbon as possible embodied within the existing structure rather than releasing it. A number of people are in support of this, including some of the most environmentally conscious architects London has to offer.

The argument about the demolition and redevelopment is getting a lot of support. The project has even been called in for a public enquiry to debate the issue. It could lead to the proposal being blocked and a complete change in whether demolitions like this should even be allowed. It could shift focus to reworking and reusing buildings instead.

Reworking

This is actually a viable strategy in a majority of cases. There are successful projects all around the world that achieve it, taking the old and making something brand new without getting rid of everything first. There can be obstacles, but the results can be truly stunning.

Think about reworking with top architects in London

Coffey Architects is a team you can rely on for all kinds of projects, including deep retrofitting. We have experience here and can create fantastic new spaces from all kinds of existing properties. Each project can have a careful approach to get the best results for the owners, users, and environment.

So, if you have a project in mind and want assistance from some of the top architects in London, please speak to us. We would like to help you decide what to do.