Elizabeth Otter’s ‘Opinion Piece’ for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) notes that ‘While talk of heritage retrofits may conjure images of costly and invasive installations, a new hierarchy of interventions can help ensure historic buildings contribute to a sustainable future’.
Elizabeth Otter writes for RICS writes:
The reuse and adaptation of historic buildings represents an embodied carbon saving. Doing so makes them more cost-effective, increases their lifespan and extends their historic narrative, meaning they’re less at risk from being abandoned or suffering from lack of investment.
Preserving, managing and using what already exists is at the heart of the six Rs of sustainability: rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and repair. Better maintenance and care of built fabric increases the longevity of materials and building use. This in turn improves performance, promoting reuse rather than demolition.
Climate change is presenting new challenges for old buildings…
