Design Solution · Sustainability
Design Solution · Dream about it
Keeping ~90% of an existing concrete frame to cut carbon.
Around 90% of the original 1960s concrete structure is kept and reworked rather than demolished, avoiding an estimated 10,000 tonnes of carbon. Retaining the frame turns a demolition-and-rebuild into a deep retrofit while meeting modern workspace standards. It is a benchmark for low-carbon reuse of post-war commercial stock.
Retaining approximately 90% of a 1960s concrete frame rather than demolishing and rebuilding avoids an estimated 10,000 tonnes of embodied carbon — a figure that puts this project at the more ambitious end of the structural reuse spectrum. The approach converts what would have been a demolition into a deep retrofit, which is a meaningful shift in project logic and in the relationship with planning and heritage consents. The evidence is self-reported with no independent structural assessment or lifecycle carbon comparison cited, so the 10,000 tonne avoidance figure should be treated as an order-of-magnitude claim rather than a certified number. Retaining a post-war concrete frame at this percentage creates real structural and programme challenges — the original frame was not designed for current loading standards, floor-to-ceiling heights or MEP integration, and unlocking retained-frame buildings typically involves significant investigation, condition surveys and temporary works that carry programme risk. For a specifier, this is a compelling benchmark for embodied-carbon ambition on post-war commercial stock, but its replicability depends heavily on the condition of the specific frame and the client's tolerance for the uncertainty that structural retention always introduces.
#retrofit #structural retention #embodied carbon