Ireland's only dedicated building services engineering journal
Ireland's only dedicated building services engineering journal

Conor McGinn, Managing Director, SystemCore.
Photo credit: Cormac O’Kelly
Conor McGinn, Managing Director of sustainability building consultancy, SystemCore, discusses the importance of energy retrofits and asset rejuvenation. He details how an existing building can significantly reduce its embodied carbon emissions by reusing the existing structure and aligning with the principles of a circular economy.

I undertook my first sustainable retrofit in 2012 with the Pacific Centre redevelopment in Downtown Vancouver, a 640,000 sq ft mixed-use property. The building, which originally opened in 1973 with an ugly grey spandrel-panelled façade, was transformed into a LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) energy-efficient building with a modern glass façade.

The property owner decided to fully retain the existing structure instead of opting for a complete rebuild, which offered several advantages. This approach helped streamline the planning process, reduced construction time, and allowed the mall to remain operational, thereby minimising the loss of rental income.

Additionally, the environmental benefits were significant – the new and improved fabric reduced thermal losses by approximately 40%.

See full PDF of the article at Sustainable retrofitting of existing buildings

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