An introduction to refurbishment. Part 2: Maximising the opportunities at the design stage

Stephen Fernandez discusses ways in which engineers can explore the potential to refurbish existing buildings instead of demolishing and building anew.

As the climate changes there will be ever-increasing social and economic pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, with focus turning to the embodied carbon in products which has thus far been eclipsed by operational values.

Fiona Cobb presents a brief guide to the key desk research required to understand the types of construction, likely structural capacities and latent defects of an existing building.