Collaborating on Opportunity London’s Retrofit at Scale guide

We are incredibly proud to have contributed to Opportunity London’s newly launched ‘Retrofit at Scale’ guide, which is a roadmap for change and a call to rethink the way we approach investment, sustainability, and growth in our built environment.

Bringing our expertise in reuse and retrofit to the table, we collaborated as a team of system thinkers to contribute meaningfully to this important piece of work, led by Gensler. Our director, Gareth, played a key role in shaping this research, drawing on his experience as Chair of the NLA Net Zero Expert Panel.

The guide sets out to:

• Make the case for why we need to focus on upgrading what we’ve already built instead of tearing down and starting over.
• Break down the barriers to large-scale retrofit
• Push for a shared language and better data
• Look at how to unlock funding for retrofit
• Remind us that reusing buildings and materials is one of the most effective ways to cut emissions in cities.

In recognition of the climate crisis we face, the report states “our aspiration is that by acknowledging the constraints around a retrofit approach today, we can proactively address these obstacles for the benefit of tomorrow. It’s now or never.”

We are proud to be part of the Opportunity London partnership, to continue to support its ambition to attract investment into London’s low carbon built environment. Opportunity London creates a vital platform for connecting stakeholders, aligning policy objectives across Greater London’s local authorities, and attracting international investment.

One of our notable projects in London is The Elephant, an award-winning retrofit on Oxford Street. 

Our engineering team is transforming a landmark 1930s department store into a sustainable, office-led mixed-use development, retaining much of the original structure and reusing steelwork to drastically reduce embodied carbon emissions.

Gareth Atkinson, director of our London studio, who contributed to the research, said: "Retrofit is not a choice - it's a necessity. Scaling up retrofit across London is one of the most immediate and impactful ways we can cut carbon, drive economic resilience, and protect the city’s built heritage. But it demands leadership, collaboration, and bold action if we are to achieve a truly sustainable future for our industry and our city."