Upcycling and Retrofit? Sandbox FOMO5 2, from Ep.06

Retrofit, material reuse and the circular economy – how can we, as individuals, play our part? Find out more in this week’s ‘Sandbox’ FOMO5... 

We can all adopt the basic principles of retrofit across our existing assets to help tackle the climate crisis. Examples include making more sustainable changes in our homes, mending rather than replacing, to upcycling a piece of IKEA furniture (there’s even websites dedicated to change of use for older pieces!). 

In our most recent episode of ‘Sandbox’, our panel explores this idea, along with the importance of re-using materials within the circular economy. Darren Conboy, Associate, Buro Happold, said: “It's easy to be tempted to take things and use them and throw them away and actually there is a much more promising future for a lot of the materials we have, and it's the same for existing buildings as it is for furniture.” 

Ana Araujo, Partner, Buro Happold, added: “The next step for us as an industry is to create a real economy around materials. 

“We have this amazing built stock that is out there, which was probably built in a time when we had different needs as a society. So, it's not just about making them more efficient, but it's also about how we adapt for current needs.” 

Joining our regular host Andy Duncan in this episode, are Buro Happold experts Ana Araújo and Darren Conboy, and our special guest Gillian Darley OBE, a leading architectural historian, writer and broadcaster with a background in conservation, who has written books such as Excellent Essex, and featured on television with shows including Channel 4's Built in Britain and BBC2's The Man Who Fought the Planners.   

Listen to the full FOMO5 episode to find out more...  

Subscribe to the whole series; sometimes we’ll tackle a subject head on, sometimes a sideways view - but always with curiosity, expertise and maybe even a dash of humour.   

This podcast series is brought to you by Buro Happold (https://buro.im/BuroHappold).