Inspiration and questions from the RETROFIT 24 Exhibition at the London Building Centre 

Author: Dr Lucy McFadzean, Research Associate, University of Exeter

This month I had the opportunity to visit the ‘RETROFIT 24: The Reuse Agenda for Our Commercial, Cultural & Civic Buildings’ exhibition at the London Building Centre. As we continue to document across our Work Packages, including for potential public exhibits and use, the exhibit offers inspiration and also raises questions about how we might communicate the unique elements of the Transforming Homes project in the future. 

RETROFIT 24 does a great job of making the case for the retrofit of non-residential buildings. The exhibition is split into case studies from commercial, civic and cultural buildings, and presents the unique opportunities these retrofits offer for achieving Net Zero targets, as well as some of the unique challenges they present. The wealth of approaches, scales and case studies was inspiring. Of particular interest was the case study of Padnall Hall youth club, displaying examples of young people’s co-designed architectural models; and Portmeirion biomass heating scheme, demonstrating a retrofit solution centred on place and infrastructure rather than a single building. As these examples indicate, the breadth of the exhibitions content meant a multitude of approaches and solutions were introduced. It was interesting to reflect on how the Bristol and Swansea case sites of the project might compare to the examples in this exhibit, as we might have more opportunity for storytelling and detail in our approach. 

In addition to displaying a range of case studies, the exhibition contains a section on products, practical steps for undertaking retrofit, as well as an introduction to using data in retrofit projects. To this end, whilst the exhibit does carefully explain and make the case for retrofit, the audience is largely those already working in the building industry. This was particularly evident in the products section which, whilst creatively utilising and displaying materials, focused more on commerce than bio-based materials and their life cycles. The Transforming Homes project has an opportunity to address the materials question from a different angle, engaging new and existing audiences in different ways. 

In a final and personal reflection, as seems to be the case with many retrofit exhibits I have visited, there is still a lot more space for people and community in the exhibit – for the creativity and messiness of this – and not only slick and measured outcomes. It was refreshing to see a little of this in the Padnall Hall youth centre project, as well as on the (incredibly engaged!) comment wall in the exhibition – where many of the questions and concerns raised in the exhibit came alive. It is exciting to think how we as a Transforming Homes project might be able to bring this humanity and community to our future exhibits and begin answering some of the questions posed.  

The RETROFIT 24 exhibit is on at the London Building Centre until 30 August 2024 and is also available to view virtually. 

 Image credits: Lucy McFadzean