About this Event
How do you decarbonise an ageing office building when extending or replacing its façade is not an option?
Sitting directly above Barbican station, with railway tunnels beneath it, Aldersgate House is a late-1980s office building being transformed by Cooke Fawcett for UCG into low-carbon offices. With additional loading restricted and recladding ruled out, the retrofit must work within the existing shell.
Join directors Oliver Cooke and Francis Fawcett for a candid account of a project still under construction. They will explore how the team is improving energy performance from an EPC rating of F/G towards B, introducing all-electric services and navigating the constraints of working above live railway infrastructure.
From coordinating new plant and exposed building services to testing historic drawings against site conditions, the talk offers practical lessons in design, collaboration, fire safety and planning. It will also consider how the building’s distinctive 1980s architecture can be retained and celebrated rather than concealed.
With London’s office stock facing pressing questions around obsolescence and carbon, Aldersgate House provides a timely case study in the possibilities and complexities of adaptive reuse. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A.
Speakers
Oliver Cooke, Director, Cooke Fawcett
Oliver leads arts, community and residential projects, supporting clients through design, planning and funding. With over 25 years’ experience, his work includes Quidhampton Mill House and Studio and cultural projects for Bold Tendencies and CAST Cornwall.
Francis Fawcett, Director, Cooke Fawcett
Francis co-founded Cooke Fawcett in 2015 and leads cultural and commercial projects, with a focus on retrofit and complex existing buildings. His projects include Cockpit Deptford, Peckham Watchmakers’ Factory and Aldersgate House.
Free to attend. Book Now.
Event venue & nearby stays
Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London, United Kingdom
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