Circular ECONOMY in action
Rethinking the built environment
In 2026, retrofit is moving from a niche sustainability theme to a defining strategy for carbon reduction, resource security and economic resilience. Yet retrofitting alone is no longer enough. The next frontier—circular retrofit—combines reuse, adaptability and design for recovery, reshaping how we think about the life of buildings.
Circular retrofit begins with one simple question: How can we make every existing structure a resource for the next generation? It’s an approach that treats buildings as material banks rather than future waste—minimising embodied carbon, conserving materials, and keeping economic value in circulation.
Why circular retrofit is the next growth area
With embodied carbon now accounting for up to half of a building’s lifetime emissions, extending the life of existing assets is becoming a primary climate strategy. Circular retrofit addresses this by prioritising conservation over demolition—maximising reuse of façades, superstructures and internal elements wherever possible.
New drivers are accelerating the shift:
• Policy and taxonomy frameworks in the UK and EU now reward material retention and reuse.
• Investor expectations are linking asset value to climate resilience and responsible resource use.
• Cost stability matters more than ever—reusing structure and materials shields projects from volatile commodity prices.
For developers and asset managers, circular retrofit is no longer just environmentally responsible; it’s strategically sound business planning.
From demolition to selective disassembly
A circular retrofit mindset starts well before construction. Rather than stripping out everything back to a shell, project teams identify components with residual performance value—steel beams, façades, MEP modules, interiors—and recover them for reuse or remanufacture
Designing for selective disassembly means using reversible connections, adaptable layouts and modular systems that simplify maintenance and future upgrades. The result is a building that can evolve without wasteful rebuilds—a living asset rather than a static object.
This approach also supports “urban mining”: recovering resources already embedded in cities, reducing reliance on virgin materials and avoiding the carbon overhead of new production.
Digital intelligence meets circular design
Digital modelling and material databases now make circular retrofit measurable. BIM systems and digital material passports enable teams to track embodied carbon, provenance and future potential of components. This transparency helps owners quantify the carbon savings of reuse—and support compliance with emerging disclosure frameworks like the EU taxonomy or UK sustainability reporting standards.
When linked with asset management platforms, these tools help create buildings that describe themselves—showing how materials can re‑enter circulation when spaces are renewed decades later.
How Climery supports circular retrofit
At Climery, we see circular retrofit as a cornerstone of climate‑intelligent building design. By combining technical rigour with design innovation, we help clients:
• Audit assets to map material reuse potential and embodied carbon value.
• Integrate circular principles at early RIBA stages to optimise reuse and adaptability.
• Develop engineering and MEP strategies that align with future disassembly and material recovery.
• Capture data and visuals for sustainability reporting and investment narratives.
Circular retrofit is more than a sustainability initiative—it’s a blueprint for enduring, adaptable and low‑carbon assets that stand up to future expectations.
