{"id":22944,"date":"2024-01-17T17:55:06","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T17:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eocengineers.com\/?p=22944"},"modified":"2024-02-05T17:17:18","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T17:17:18","slug":"adaptive-reuse-facade-refurbishment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eocengineers.com\/fr\/adaptive-reuse-facade-refurbishment\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking the Need for New Buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do we really need another new building?<\/strong>
This is always the first – and most important – question our engineers ask when looking at development opportunities on sites with existing buildings. Thankfully the climate emergency is changing the mindset of the construction industry away from the unfortunate \u2018cult of the new\u2019 to recognising the value of our existing building stock and the sustainability benefits of adaptive reuse and refurbishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last two articles in our adaptive re-use series introduced<\/a><\/strong> and examined the challenges<\/a><\/strong> of adaptive re-use, and in this article we get into the detail of facade refurbishment.

Eckersley O\u2019Callaghan\u2019s specialist Facade Engineering<\/a><\/strong> group has a strong track record in adaptive reuse and refurbishment projects, including sensitive heritage buildings. We are honoured to be leading an initiative with the CWCT<\/a><\/strong> (Centre for Window and Cladding) to produce a new sustainability guide to facade refurbishment, in collaboration with fellow consultants, clients, contractors and specialists.

Reasons for facade refurbishment<\/strong>
Reducing carbon emissions and our impact on the environment is the overriding reason we advocate adaptive reuse, however there are several practical reasons clients may need to consider existing facade refurbishments: Components within a building facade system have failed; a heritage building that needs to be conserved; a need to upgrade internal performance or bring a building structure in line with new regulations; a change of use; or a client\u2019s desire to improve the value of a commercial asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conserve or replace?<\/strong>
Whatever the reason for considering facade refurbishment, there will be a tug of war to manage between conservation groups at one end and \u2018build new\u2019 proponents at the other. Neither option is simple and compromise is inevitable. This is why we push for early involvement at RIBA Stage 0 to put any external pressures to the side, and focus in on the practicalities and sustainability.

Early engagement is essential<\/strong>
At RIBA Stage 0, the most pressing questions every facade refurbishment project brief asks are; why does the existing building need a refurbishment? What requirements doesn\u2019t the building meet? Is the building energy efficient, and can it achieve net zero carbon sustainability goals? Only a facade refurbishment specialist can effectively investigate, challenge, and answer these questions to help form a viable detailed brief that takes the project into Stage 1. This is dis-similar to new-build projects which often appoint specialists at RIBA Stage 2 or 3, so it\u2019s often an unfamiliar approach to clients.

For our specialists to undertake a purposeful assessment of the various options and develop the best approach at this early stage, the following considerations are particularly important:<\/p>\n\n\n\n