Feature
Upgrading Our Built Environment: A Retrofit Project
With most of the construction infrastructure already developed, Karen Trigg of Allegion UK explores the process of retrofitting and why it is integral to the progression of our built environment.
Redevelopment, restoration, retrofit. No longer are these terms modestly viewed as construction buzzwords. Across the world, there’s an increasing appreciation and a budding culture that maintaining older buildings is the way forward for our planet and its people.
, of which, buildings account for around a third of the . And when you consider that up to 80% of today’s buildings are expected to still be in use by the year 20503
, it’s evident why so many are now pushing for a conscientious approach.
Across the UK, the built environment also contributes 40% to the country’s total carbon emissions4
, with its 28 million homes,
by most assessments, constituting the least energy efficient in Europe. With so many of our current buildings set to exist 30 years into the future and beyond, why should so much of the focus fall on new-build projects? Output must be improved now, and the real substance of the challenge is retrofitting, we need only unlock its potential, says Karen Trigg of Allegion UK:
“Despite its many applications, in the context of the built environment, a retrofit is often described as the addition of new components or features to older systems. The process is designed to make a building perform better, and because of its benefits - both economically and environmentally speaking - retrofitting has emerged as a popular solution for advancing the efficiency of buildings.
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Globally, cities are said to be responsible for 78% of our energy consumption1 total2
“On an environmental level, it’s widely understood that
the construction industry must strive to do better. In many developed countries, four out of the five buildings set to stand in 2050 already exist, meaning the onus of addressing energy consumption lies upon us now. Accordingly, decision makers are obliged, and actively encouraged, to prioritise activities such as retrofitting in order to meet the energy-saving targets as outlined in the Paris Agreement5
.
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