The lockdown imposed on us by the COVID-19 pandemic saw the urban garden-style placemaking at Churchwood Gardens really come into its own.
The downside of retrofitting and reusing buildings is that renovated buildings are, in most cases, still not as energy efficient as new buildings.Depending on the extent of the upgrades in the reused buildings, air quality, thermal insulation and visual experience may not be as good, are not always suitable and may not be flexible enough to accommodate different uses..
It is worth noting that the potential effects of building refurbishment, in terms of operational carbon, embodied carbon and wellbeing, are specific to the characteristics of the existing building.The best results are achieved when the refurbishment is planned carefully from a holistic point of view, addressing all the different factors of the retrofit together..Sustainable design: Net Zero Carbon refurbishment.
(LETI) and Bryden Wood.Bryden Wood’s approach to adaptive reuse uses a clear operational and embodied carbon hierarchy, as shown in the diagrams below.
Our sustainable design approach prioritises the reduction of energy demand via a ‘fabric first’ approach, combined with passive and active design measures (‘be lean’).
To reduce operational carbon, we first explore any possibility of reusing buildings that already exist.‘You could talk to forty people in one day and they are all working on completely different projects and it’s all happening under this one roof.
I love that so much.’ GWS offers a range of different studios from 150 square foot units for 1 to 2 people and runs all the way to 10,000 square foot units for 100+ employees.Minchin says, ‘Businesses can grow in the space.
Lots of people do upsize - that’s what the building is designed for,’ she adds, ’there’s also quite a lot of demand for the smaller atrium-facing spaces too as they are good shop fronts.People like that because everyone who comes into the building will see you.’.
(Editor: Stylish Smartphones)