re:development
re:trofit
re:furbish
re:use
Is it ever OK to demolish a building in the 21st Century?
A panel discussion.
The built environment is a major contributor to the emissions affecting climate change. In particular, the manufacture of steel, glass, and cement – all constituent parts of the built environment – are energy-intensive. These materials are key contributors to embodied carbon and barriers to achieving net-zero. Does this mean that we should stop new builds? Is the current building stock sufficient to meet all of the future needs of users? Or do we need to accept that some buildings can’t be repurposed in line with the needs of society? Who makes these decisions and on what basis?
Join us as we explore this thorny topic and discuss whether it’s ever OK to demolish a building in the 21st Century.
Chair
Dr Sarah Prichard
UK Managing Director | Buro Happold
Sarah joined Buro Happold in the Bath office as a Trinity College Dublin graduate in January 2001. Having completed her PhD on the response of concrete to impact, she decided to put what she had learned into practice and ‘build things!’. Sarah became a Partner in 2017 and is the UK Managing Director, a role which seeks to support and unify all of the engineering teams, in the structures, building environment, and specialist consulting disciplines, from the five offices in the UK.
Panellists
Jeremy Randall
Planning Partner | Gerald Eve
Jeremy is a Planning Partner at Gerald Eve with over 18 years’ experience advising leading UK and international owners, developers, investors and occupiers across London. A member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, he provides expert Town Planning and Development advice across Offices, Mixed Use, Retail and the Cultural sector as well as advising in the Public Sector.
He is experienced across Central London as a whole but has a particular focus on the City of London, having led on numerous complex City projects including major refurbishments as well as redevelopments. As a member of, and retained planning advisor to, the City Property Association he is at the forefront of debates and discussions around emerging policy and guidance in the City.
Dr Natasha Watson
Senior Structural Engineer | Buro Happold
After achieving First Class Hons in MEng Architectural and Civil Engineering at the University of Bath, Natasha completed an EngD in Systems Engineering from the University of Bristol.
She played an integral part in the delivery of The Caretaker’s House in Hooke Park, a timber-framed building completed with Invisible Studio and with the support of the Architectural Association Design and Make students.
Natasha is part of Buro Happold’s Urban C:lab; a two-year research and developmental programme for the future leaders of the practice that aims to solve the intractable urban challenges facing the world today. She is exploring the emergent disruption in the built environment.
Dr Craig Robertson
Head of Sustainability | Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
Dr Craig Robertson is Head of Sustainability at AHMM architects. He is an architect, researcher and teacher with expertise in environmental design and engineering.
He completed his PhD at the UCL Energy Institute focusing on the potential for energy consumption information to inform and justify strategic and detailed building design decisions. At AHMM, Craig leads the sustainability agenda and manages the Building Performance Team. HI team supports AHMM’s design teams with performance analysis, environmental input, post-occupancy evaluation, and research.
He teaches and lectures in sustainable design, sits on the RIBA’s Sustainable Futures group, is a member of LB of Haringey’s quality review panel and is currently leading a Knowledge Transfer Partnership research project with UCL’s Bartlett School of Energy and Environmental and Resources into the implications of Net Zero Carbon on high density, mixed use urban developments.
Elaine Toogood
Head of Architecture | The Concrete Centre
Elaine is Head of Architecture at The Concrete Centre where she provides architectural advice, project, and technical guidance primarily related to the use of concrete. She has over 25 years of experience as a qualified architect, mostly within private practice, and has particular expertise in the design, specification, and use of concrete for sustainable construction.
She is the joint lead for the UK concrete industry’s circular economy taskforce and advisor to UK Concrete for environmental sustainability in the built environment. Technical guidance she has authored includes Concrete and BREEAM and Material Efficiency publications as well as numerous technical articles in Concrete Quarterly, of which she is the joint editor.
Elaine regularly contributes to working groups related to environmental sustainability, including the DEFRA Property Level Flood Resilience round table; BSI committee revising BS 85500 – Flood resistant and resilient construction – Guide to improving the flood performance of buildings; The London Climate Change Partnership; LETI Circular Economy and Embodied carbon work streams; RIBA Sustainable Futures group and the UKGBC Net Zero route map. She is also the current Chair of RIBA SE London.
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