Agenda 1 - Adapt + Reuse
Incremental Urbanism has a profound focus on the transformation of our existing buildings. Transformation is one of the key elements to supporting lower CO2-emissions and respecting the planetary boundaries in the building industry that currently is responsible for too much of the emissions.
Adaption and reuse turns our attention towards the values of heritage and existing qualities in the built environment. We need to reuse, recycle, and upcycle constructions and materials, and adapt buildings to new functions whenever possible.
We utilise the huge potential of transformation when retrofitting existing buildings. Incremental Urbanism are PAS 2035 retrofit coordinators and retrofit designers - this means that we can support projects that aim to reach our national climate targets, while balancing budget, time, and disruption. We create retrofit plans that establish the energy saving possibilities of a building, then identify compatible and realistic incremental steps that work with each client.
Through rigorous analysis of the existing we propose new uses and add-ons that can elevate buildings, their construction, atmosphere and cultural history that can enrich our environments. The existing and site-specific becomes a new driver for our view on history and can inform an identity that we all feel enriched by.
Reusing materials is not business as usual - our working method for reuse and circularity acknowledges the uncertainty it comes with, and we are familiar with going outside the norms of the tried and tested. Beyond sustainability, we see the social and economic opportunities of circular practices as existing materials and structures are saturated by the histories of their former existence. We are applying our creativity to connect people with these materials that are often treasured by communities, that represent stability in places that are changing and that give meaning to new neighbourhoods.
We match the client’s needs with the building’s potential and advise on how to transform the building into a new typology with new workflows, activities and expressions.
“New ideas must use old buildings.”
