The Historic Buildings Carbon Reduction and Climate Resilience Challenge is a collaboration between the City of London Corporation (CoLC) and Purcell, running from 2022 to 2023. The Challenge highlighted that whilst there is a large amount of interest and focus on addressing carbon emissions and climate resilience in heritage buildings, action has so far been limited, and projects that have sought to lead the way are not widely publicised or shared.
In an effort to address these issues, the campaign has culminated in this open-access toolkit which provides a nine-step methodology aimed at empowering building owners to initiate the adaptations necessary to reduce carbon emissions and build climate resilience in their heritage buildings. By collating and signposting best practice principles and examples across these typologies, the toolkit provides a resource that will allow building owners to confidently start the process of responsible retrofit, build a business case and deliver the adaptations necessary.
The nine-step methodology is based on latest best practice guidance and will ensure an iterative, whole building approach that is sensitive to the particular challenges of heritage buildings. With the climate crisis representing the single greatest challenge facing our generation, bold and ambitious action is needed to unlock the potential in our built heritage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Adapting them to the extreme effects of a changing climate.
The purpose of this toolkit is to provide clear and actionable guidance for owners, occupiers and caretakers of historic and listed buildings, to help them take steps to reduce carbon and build climate resilience in their heritage buildings.
