Building Conservation

As we face the challenges posed by climate change, economic austerity and affordable housing shortages, it should be increasingly clear that we need to find appropriate ways of upgrading existing buildings rather than constructing new ones. Building less is an obvious way to preserve precious resources.

Grade I and II* listed buildings present major challenges for those attempting to upgrade their environmental performance. However, they represent only a small proportion of our overall building stock, so it is arguable that they should be left well alone. Sustainability is about more than just energy consumption, and perhaps the key challenge with these buildings is finding ways to keep them in use.