Embodied Carbon: Refurbish or Rebuild Greensky Thinking 2017

ECD Architects will be hosting a seminar event ‘Embodied Carbon: Refurbish or Rebuild’ as part of GreenSky Thinking Week.

Date: Monday, 15 May
Session 1: 3pm to 5pm
Session 2: 6pm to 8pm

Location: ECD Architects, Studio 3 Blue Lion Place
237 Long Lane, London SE1 4PU

GreenSky Thinking is a week long, London-wide events programme for built environment and property professionals highlighting innovative thinking and practice on how we ‘design in’ sustainability for London. The programme is managed by Open-City, London’s leading architecture education organisation.

Refurbishment is usually considered a better alternative than demolition due to the embodied carbon present in the materials to construct the building. While low energy refurbishment should lead to significant whole life operational energy reductions, what is the associated embodied carbon? And would it have been better to demolish and rebuild to low-energy instead of refurbishment? How much does this depend on the original structure prior to demolition? A case study in London will be used which is a medium high-rise building – some of which will be demolished and some of which will be refurbished.

Bringing together and reflecting upon data from a live ECD project case study and research by others, this session will examine the arguments and evidence for and against building demolition and building retrofit.

The discussion will include:

•  an overview on most up-to-date evidence and research of demolition vs retrofit, including embodied carbon implications;
•  ECD project case study to understand embodied energy/carbon of demolition + rebuild versus retrofit
•  cost implications and other incentives for demolition + rebuild vs retrofit

To book please email daniella.udechukwu@ecda.co.uk
(Email must contain your name, position, organisation, sector and contact details)