Maximising existing buildings for urban revitalisation

United Kingdom | 20 June 2025
Reading Time : 5 min 53 sec

UK cities are currently facing a revitalisation crisis, with a large number of shops closing down annually. In 2024, 12,804 shops and outlets¹shut down, averaging 35 closures a day. Additionally, “long-term empty” homes (those unfurnished and unlived for over six months) reached 265,061, up by 4,000 from 2023².

To address this, the UK Government plans to introduce a number of initiatives to regenerate largely vacant areas, including the High Street Rental Auctions³. Additionally, several London Planning Authorities, such as the City of London, Camden and Westminster⁴, have implemented a “retrofit first” approach that prioritises refurbishments over new builds, especially for commercial developments.

As urban space becomes increasingly limited, property owners and developers must consider how existing buildings can be reimagined for developments. This article explores how to maximise assets, the benefits of this approach, and how our experts have helped clients overcome challenges.

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The benefits of reusing buildings

There are many benefits to be reaped from reusing existing buildings, including reduced carbon emissions, cost savings and urban regeneration. This approach can also help preserve heritage assets and supports the UK’s Net Zero ambitions. Below we’ve discussed in more detail how this can support local economies and strengthen community identities.

Urban regeneration: Reusing buildings can stimulate local economies by transforming derelict structures into functional spaces. This can improve economic activity, tourism and population growth.
Preservation of heritage: It allows the life of historical structures to be extended, maintaining architectural integrity and historical significance. This fosters a sense of continuity and identity within communities.
Cost-effectiveness: Developers can save on materials, labour and time, and can benefit from government grants and incentives aimed at preserving heritage sites.
Material efficiencies: It minimises the need for new materials, reducing the carbon footprint associated with construction. This aligns with the UK's broader environmental goals, including reducing waste and promoting sustainable development.
Reduced carbon emissions: Reusing buildings significantly cuts down embodied carbon emissions. Demolishing and constructing new buildings can produce up to 13 times more embodied carbon⁵ compared to refurbishing existing structures. To this effect, reusing buildings can help the UK move towards its Net Zero target by 2050.

How to maximise existing buildings

Existing buildings require a unique approach, with many factors to consider. Below we’ve shared some of our top tips for defining, designing and delivering projects.

Maximise the building's potential
Gather detailed data on the building's structure, materials and context to reuse as much as possible, reducing carbon emissions and preserving its identity. This helps optimise capacity and enhance spaces for new users, making reuse viable.
Assess onsite and prepare for unknowns
Completing upfront surveys and tests can determine what can be retained and what needs replacing. Pre-development audits are a great way to do this, enabling existing structure to be maximised as much as possible in line with the Circular Economy Hierarchy.
Collaborate early
Involve clients, architects, engineers and contractors from the start to understand challenges and opportunities, including low carbon investments and planning requirements. This also helps communicate the project’s purpose and its impact on various stakeholders, highlighting how it will improve the building, neighbourhood and tenants’ lives.
Embrace dynamic design with technology
Use technology to test and compare design scenarios, ensuring buildings are flexible and resilient for future changes. This helps optimise energy efficiency and lengthen the building's life.
Leverage innovative materials and construction methods
A common challenge often faced with existing buildings, especially historic structures, is load bearing capacities, which can limit vertical extensions. Modern materials and construction methods can make it easier and safer to add floors to existing buildings with minimal interventions or strengthening. Lightweight materials like Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) can be used to vertically extend existing buildings, providing additional space for the same overall load increase. Prefabrication can also be adopted to optimise the amount of components built off-site and streamline assembly on-site.

The impact of upgrading existing buildings

Breathing new life into Claridge’s

To keep pace with the evolving hotel industry, it was vital for Claridge’s to undergo a refurbishment to stay front of mind among its clientele. Utilising our extensive experience in the hospitality sector, our team was selected to provide structural, civil and geotechnical engineering expertise for the project, helping the Grade II listed building to re-establish itself as a top luxury destination.

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Sustainably retrofitting our Chancery Lane office

After examining the pros and cons of staying put or moving to a different building, we found that staying in Chancery Lane would enable us to radically redesign the building systems: going all-electric and drastically reducing energy demand while taking advantage of free cooling. This has been designed using the NABERS process, ensuring we achieve our modelled performance.

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Creating a new identity for the Kensington Building

Our multidisciplinary engineering transformed a dated four-storey 1970s block into a six-storey mixed-use building with next-generation office space and a new retail arcade, enhancing connectivity to the High Street Kensington Underground Station.

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Uncover opportunities for enhancing building design and delivery

In our new 'Expect Different' white paper, our experts have shared insights on innovative approaches and solutions to improve building design and construction.

Download the white paper