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Practice paper

Building a sustainable future : The role of historic buildings in tackling the climate crisis

Laura Baron
Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal & Valuation, 14 (2), 172-186 (2025)
https://doi.org/10.69554/BBCU8468

Abstract

Britain’s built heritage plays a crucial role in Britons’ cultural identity, and their understanding of places and their histories. Now, more than ever, we need to preserve historic buildings in order to forge a sustainable and resilient future for our planet. However, climate action is often seen as at odds with heritage conservation, and many energy efficiency measures are perceived as ‘harmful’ to our historic buildings. The Heritage Building Retrofit Toolkit, described in this paper alongside case study examples, aims to challenge those perceptions. It sets out a nine-step methodology which starts from a position of knowledge, balances the risks and considers all opportunities as part of a ‘whole building approach’. The outcome is sensitively integrated solutions that safeguard the future of our heritage buildings, preparing them for a changing climate while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.

Keywords: heritage; retrofit; sustainability; conservation; historic; climate

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Author's Biography

Laura Baron is Head of Sustainability at Purcell, one of the world’s leading heritage architecture companies. A qualified architect with over 15 years’ experience, she is passionate about finding innovative solutions to adapting and conserving our built heritage, against the backdrop of the climate emergency. Laura authored the Heritage Building Retrofit Toolkit in partnership with the City of London Corporation, developing a comprehensive process for climate action in heritage settings. She is on the Steering Group of Architects Declare, a network of over 1,300 architectural practices across the UK committed to addressing the climate and biodiversity emergency and has contributed to multiple industry initiatives including the Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce, Architects Climate Action Network, the Low Energy Transformation Initiative and the NLA Conservation and Retrofit Expert Panel.

Citation

Baron, Laura (2025, September 1). Building a sustainable future : The role of historic buildings in tackling the climate crisis. In the Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal & Valuation, Volume 14, Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.69554/BBCU8468.

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cover image, Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal & Valuation
Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal & Valuation
Volume 14 / Issue 2
© Henry Stewart
Publications LLP

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