Retrofirst

Retrofirst is a campaign by Architects Journal which its main focus is to encourage companies and individuals to reuse and refurbish properties rather than to tear down and start again. With the UK tasking itself with reducing its carbon footprint to 0 by the year 2050 it’s never been more important to prioritise retrofitting existing buildings over complete demolitions and rebuilds.

The current situation

The construction industry uses a lot of the world’s cement and as quoted by Architects Journal “26 per cent of aluminium output, 50 per cent of steel production and 25 per cent of all plastics” because of this the industry as a whole has an extremely high carbon emissions rating. According to Innovate UK (previously known as the Technology Strategy Board), the construction, operation and maintenance of built environment accounts for 45% of total UK carbon emissions (27% from domestic buildings and 18% from non-domestic buildings). On top of this, 50,000 buildings being demolished each year which is costly, unpopular and often leads to copious amounts of waste.

The benefits of retrofitting 

However, Retrofitting existing buildings is cost-effective and often less controversial as it does not disrupt neighbourhoods. Retrofitting also makes complete sense from an environment perspective as repurposing an existing building does not take anywhere near as much resources as it does to demolish and rebuild. Retrofitting buildings will also improve energy efficiency or decrease energy demand.

What part does the Solid Wood Flooring Company play?

Impervia® flooring is an ideal solution for retrofit projects as it does not need any adhesive or underlay. Below is an example of how Impervia® flooring was used in a refurbish product. 

Impervia® flooring has been used in a conversion with Dandi Living who changed the York House Office complex to residential apartments. The cost saving of using Impervia® because of the acoustic back layer and residential warranty of 30 years was more than 35% of previous estimates.

Dandi Living wanted a quick solution to refurbish the office and move in within two weeks.

Impervia® is perfect because of its acoustic backing and a rigid core. It will be cleaner than the tiles which will have been professionally cleaned before fitting the Impervia® Flooring.

Because there is no movement in the rigid core it means Impervia® can be installed right up to the skirting without the need for any trims. The look will be perfect as if it was the original floor.

Take a look at the luxury waterproof flooring here