How is environmental legislation shaping the way we balance carbon and cost on a commercial retrofit?

By Jack Penford Baker

In the past 10 years there has been a noticeable shift in the fundamental ways we approach design. The option to knock down and start again is fading further and further away. The cost of carbon has become an integral part of decision making and much welcomed innovations in software and tools – combined with a re-education on priorities – is paving the way towards net zero.

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards are simple on paper and a core driver for improving the performance of our buildings, regardless of your views on EPCs. But more than 24.1m sqft* of commercial workspace, in London alone, is set to become non-compliant by 2030. So are we moving fast enough?

Take Haptic’s approach to 300 Grays Inn Road for Beltane and Topland, as an example. An out of date, underperforming, vacant 1970’s office building near Kings Cross. The key challenge was to create a design that transformed the existing building but also aligned with the clients retention-first strategy and commitment to reaching beyond the statutory requirements for sustainability and carbon impact. The solution? A deep retrofit.

 

Our focus revolved around developing an entirely new façade for the building whilst maintaining 88% of the internal structure. The design, manufacturing and installation of the façade was therefore the focus for the team when it came to identifying and implementing opportunities to reduce embodied carbon impact, and significantly improve its environmental performance. The project has also raised an opportunity to reflect. Retention of the superstructure is a substantial carbon saving, but is a wholesale replacement of the façade the right choice? Can building owners afford or find the capital needed for such an investment?

The answer is somewhat nuanced. Yes, a new façade means a larger carbon expenditure, but a welcomed refresh and reposition of the building. A higher quality building and a better environmental performance, represents a larger commercial investment, and a bigger rental return. But are attitudes shifting more? Is a lighter touch a better solution?

Should we have retained the façade and concentrated improvements at a surgical level? Perhaps the saving of carbon is a higher priority than that of improving the building’s appearance. Whichever solution is right will depend on the complexity of the site and brief, but as designers we collaborate with Cost Consultants, Sustainability experts and the whole project team to better understand the impact of our design choices.

Jack Penford Baker and Emma Galvin will be speaking at the Retrofit Agenda stage at the Footprint 2025 conference in London. Their talk, 300 Gray’s Inn Road: Fine Tuned Carbon Analysis Unlocks Challenging Retrofit, is at 14:45 on 15th May.