BBLB architects

In these times of austerity the importance of the nation’s existing building stock is becoming increasingly apparent. It’s enhancement not only makes economic sense but also impacts on our overall carbon footprint.

Successful renovation of existing buildings is about understanding the ethos of the original idea and design, and then through the introduction of appropriate materials and technologies, generating a solution that environmentally improves the performance of the building, and also importantly delivers a financially viable option.

Rushey Mead school required extensive remodelling

The ‘recycling’ of buildings is hardly a new concept but as we strive to reduce energy and life cycle costs in the future it is becoming a bigger challenge to undertake successfully. In recent times the adaptive reuse of accommodation has also taken a more creative turn, particularly in the education sector. There are many examples of pre-schools, independent schools, FE colleges and universities turning office buildings, factories, churches, retail units and even hospital into schools. In the United States for example, charter schools – which have been an inspiration for the UK’s ‘free schools’ – have often been opened in converted commercial premises.

The renovation of existing buildings can be broken down in to several components incorporating both refurbishment and remodelling. Refurbishment involves the maintenance, repair and improvement of the building fabric and can range from a ‘light touch’ redecoration with new internal finishes and replacement of fixtures and fittings to a more substantial upgrade of facilities and services including ICT. This can be a relatively quick and economic solution, and the valuable contribution of even a simple change of colour scheme should not be underestimated.

Commonly however with the lack of maintenance that has often been a feature of our attitude to the UK’s building stock, the scope of work necessary to return our buildings to an acceptable state is more comprehensive than a simple refresh. It will require the rectification of years of neglect to repair and improve the fabric, not least to upgrade insulation standards and M&E to meet current and future predicted requirements.

Remodelling requires a more extensive overhaul and comprises the appraisal, analysis and adaptation of internal spatial arrangements to address changing needs and regulations, different uses and modern requirements. Careful cost modelling is required to assess the economic viability of proposals, and should remodelling be an option, provide guidance towards the most suitable solution.

Residential conversion at Leicester Street, Walsall

Often to make a commercial or residential scheme viable the focus needs to be on generating additional lettable space and income rather than just carrying out straight forward repairs. Examples include creating new contemporary accommodation fitted between existing roof ridges, thereby generating an additional square footage to the foot print of the building. This not only reduced the area of roof that was required for repair but also boosted additional income generated from the building, offsetting the cost of new construction. Or alternatively developing a three storey copper clad extension to the rear above an existing flat roof section of a building that required repair, which opened up the office space on each floor and increased both the value and the flexibility of the building whilst also dealing sympathetically and sensitively with an important historic element of the city fabric.

The refurbishment and remodelling of our existing buildings can more often than not be a sustainable and cost effective solution, and should – and will undoubtedly – become the first consideration when buildings of suitable inherent quality are available.