Survival of the retro-fittest

By Olivia Jackson 2022-03-30T06:00:00

Local authorities can play a pivotal role in creating sustainable placemaking strategies, writes Olivia Jackson

Retrofits, while applicable to all types of property assets, have typically been the domain of buildings deemed ‘beautiful, even when they may not lend themselves to adaptive reuse. By contrast ‘ugly’ yet practical architecture is rarely considered capable of becoming something which we could value. In this we limit not only our own creativity but our fundamental ability to reach net zero within the next twenty to thirty years.

We need to take a wider perspective, and a fitting place to start is with public sector portfolios which typically represent a diverse mix of buildings owned by leaders of the community. The public sector has the wherewithal to be a role model for normalising retrofit solutions, but cannot do it alone.

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