CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION


Helping building owners reconfigure with ease


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Nik Van Den Broek, business development manager at Victaulic, explains why retrofitting and reconfiguring buildings has become an increasingly attractive option for owners, engineers, and contractors, and how Victaulic is set-up to support design, installation and futureproofing in this increasingly important area


n huge metropolitan cities such as London, where space is at a premium and there’s increasing pressure to decarbonise, the conversation around reconfiguring buildings is growing. Across the UK and Europe, property owners and developers are rethinking the potential of existing buildings. And at the heart of this discussion there are questions around how we design and construct, and how we sustain and modernise.


Why reconfigure?


As a mechanical engineer and business development manager at pipe joining systems specialist Victaulic, I’ve had the privilege of working on some of the UK’s most important reconfiguration projects. These experiences have given me insight into why reconfiguration is gaining traction, why it’s important today, and why it’s essential to the future of sustainable construction.


For many building owners, particularly in dense urban areas of European capital cities, the physical and financial barriers to demolition and new construction are simply too great. But beyond simple practicalities, there’s a bigger and more important reason to look at repurposing – sustainability. Repurposing an existing structure can significantly reduce embodied carbon. Retaining a building’s structural core, facade, or foundation eliminates the need for vast quantities of new concrete and steel. When you consider that construction is generally one of the biggest contributors to a country’s carbon footprint, the advantages of working with what already exists become clear. Government policy is also a powerful catalyst. In the UK, national goals to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050 are influencing public and private developments. Buildings that meet green certification standards attract more favorable investment, especially from ESG-conscious funds. As a result, owners are increasingly considering how retrofitting and reconfiguration can enhance both sustainability and asset value.


The incentives for building owners


Historic structures such as the Old War Office Building in Whitehall, London, have beneffited from Victaulic solutions.


While the sustainability imperative is strong, building owners are also acting out of practical necessity. Many older buildings rely on outdated


A grooved pipe joining method secures pipes with mechanical couplings and gaskets, rather than relying on welding or flaming.


technologies like gas boilers that consume vast amounts of energy. Replacing these systems with modern, energy-efficient solutions improves long-term operating costs, aligns with decarbonisation goals, and future-proofs properties against regulatory changes. This is particularly relevant in sectors like education, healthcare, and heritage. Museums, universities, and hospitals are modernising their internal systems while preserving historic exteriors – striking a balance between conservation and innovation. These projects are challenging, but the payoff in energy savings and operational efficiency can be well worth the endeavour.


Overcoming the challenges of reconfiguration


Of course, reconfiguring a building is rarely straightforward. From a mechanical services perspective, three key challenges arise: access, spatial constraints, and installation methodology. Many retrofits involve heritage structures with tight corridors, fixed riser cores, or underground plant rooms. These spaces were never designed for modern equipment, let alone prefabricated modules. Contractors must work within existing geometries, often without the option to conduct hot works or create new access points. Because of the limited available space, the risk of pump cavitation & lower efficiency is also greatly increased. When turbulent water enters a pump chamber and the suction eye of a pump impeller, the degree of turbulence has a direct correlation with lower pump efficiency and greater hydraulic noise within the pump casing. To reduce effects of turbulence before water enters the centrifugal action of the pump impeller, suction pipes are typically kept as long and straight as possible before the connection onto the pump. Yet installing long lengths of pipe may often not be possible. When bends must be connected directly onto the pump suction side, the result is water flow that may spin in opposite directions within the eye of the impeller. Pump energy then must be spent correcting this action before producing the expected performance, decreasing flow and pressure. At Victaulic, we’ve developed solutions to meet these challenges head-on.


Our pipe joining system is lighter in weight and smaller sized compared with welded or flanged systems, so easier to handle. And because grooved products are considerably smaller in footprint compared to flanges, pipes can be installed closer to each other. To increase pump efficiency and avoid cavitation, a grooved end suction diffuser is a simple alternative – it straightens out the spinning fluid created by the change in direction at bends and enables


14 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JANUARY 2026


pipework to be connected closer to the pump at a 90-degree angle. Solutions are also modular and easy to disassemble, offering flexibility for offsite prefabrication and on-site customisation. In certain projects temporary systems are needed to keep residential services live during plant room upgrades. Using traditional welded pipework for temporary systems results in massive material waste once those systems are decommissioned. Grooved systems solve this by allowing temporary systems to be easily assembled and then disassembled and reused, rather than scrapped. It’s a more sustainable, cost-effective approach, and it aligns perfectly with the demands of clients and investors prioritising low-waste, circular solutions. The system is designed to eliminate the need for hot works, meaning they don’t require welding or other flame-based processes. This makes them a safer and faster alternative to flame-based pipe joining methods, especially in an environment that needs to stay operational during the retrofit.


Building a resilient future


London remains a notable leader for reconfiguration, driven by space limitations, ambitious sustainability goals, and significant capital flows. But other cities in Europe and beyond are joining the reconfiguration party. Paris, for instance, faces similar density challenges and is advancing retrofit efforts in line with national decarbonisation goals. Scandinavian countries are also setting high standards for sustainable retrofit. Ultimately, reconfiguration trends vary based on regional policies, urban density, and cultural attitudes toward heritage and investment. But the direction of travel is clear: the reconfiguration movement is growing, and evolving fast.


Looking ahead, I see a continued push toward modularisation and offsite construction, even within the constraints of retrofit projects. The market is exploring smaller, more adaptable prefabricated systems to suit the unique challenges of existing buildings.


Digital innovation plays a supporting role


here. Our work with BIM (Building Information Modeling) helps consultants and contractors design systems with precision, reducing clashes, material waste, and cost. Better modeling leads to better outcomes, and better sustainability ratings.


Reconfiguring buildings is not just about


improving what exists, it’s about building smarter, more resilient cities for the future. It’s about recognising that sustainability isn’t a constraint, it’s a catalyst for innovation.


Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


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