The City of London Corporation has launched a retrofit toolkit to help galvanise owners of historic buildings into making the adaptations needed to reduce carbon emissions and build climate resilience.
With more than 600 listed buildings (including Mansion House, pictured), 28 conservation areas, 48 scheduled ancient monuments and four historic parks and gardens, the Square Mile’s heritage structures pose a significant retrofit challenge, given the diverse range of buildings and their specific planning and conservation considerations.
The corporation said that improving the performance of these structures is a key priority of its climate action strategy as it progresses toward a net-zero Square Mile by 2040.
The open-access toolkit, developed with the support of architect and heritage consultant Purcell, provides a nine-step methodology to start the process of responsible retrofit, build a business case and deliver the necessary adaptations in a way that protects community assets. It is framed around eight core building types which are characteristic of the Square Mile, but the corporation said it would be equally relevant to towns and cities in the UK and around the world which are exploring how to adapt historic buildings.
Chair of the City of London Corporation’s planning and transportation committee, Shravan Joshi, said: “It is vital we secure a sustainable future for our historic environment. Our ability to adapt our heritage buildings depends on developing a common understanding and promoting good practice of what can be achieved. This toolkit provides a structured approach to such collaboration.
“As the custodian of many heritage assets, the City corporation itself is part of this journey and wants to share our own experiences and learn from others.”
Climate action policy lead of the City of London Corporation, Alison Gowman, said: “At the City corporation we recognise that an important part of conserving our heritage buildings is ensuring they are fit for the future. This means making them as energy efficient as possible, reducing their carbon emissions and adapting them to changes to the climate. This toolkit provides a structured process for pursuing these actions, drawing on latest guidance and good practice.”
“Through our Climate Action Strategy, we have slashed the corporation’s net carbon emissions by 66% since 2018, putting us on track to hit our target to reach net zero in our own operations by 2027. We are now approaching the fourth year of our strategy and will continue to have a heavy focus on buildings.”
View the Heritage Buildings Retrofit Toolkit >>
Image © Thomas Krych/ZUMA/Press-Wire-Shutterstock
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