The Hidden Carbon Cost of Climate Retrofits
Evolving urban conditions call for an evolving builtscape, and retrofits have been a key mechanism to allow buildings to adapt and respond to new needs. Amidst global environmental concerns, climate retrofits have become a popular strategy to upgrade buildings based on improved operational efficiency. Global decarbonization plans have even called for city-wide retrofits, such as in the case of London, to meet civic goals. While such upgrades significantly reduce energy consumption, they often come with a hidden cost - embodied carbon in retrofit materials and the potential for future waste.
![The Hidden Carbon Cost of Climate Retrofits](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6690/3a2e/2249/c004/8ab6/f2b8/medium_jpg/the-hidden-carbon-cost-of-climate-retrofits_9.jpg?1720728116#)
![Building Energy Saving Retrofit in Liu Lian Primary School / FORWARD STUDIO. Image © Tianpei Zeng Building Energy Saving Retrofit in Liu Lian Primary School / FORWARD STUDIO. Image © Tianpei Zeng](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/6690/3a2e/2249/c004/8ab6/f2b8/medium_jpg/the-hidden-carbon-cost-of-climate-retrofits_9.jpg?1720728116)
Evolving urban conditions call for an evolving builtscape, and retrofits have been a key mechanism to allow buildings to adapt and respond to new needs. Amidst global environmental concerns, climate retrofits have become a popular strategy to upgrade buildings based on improved operational efficiency. Global decarbonization plans have even called for city-wide retrofits, such as in the case of London, to meet civic goals. While such upgrades significantly reduce energy consumption, they often come with a hidden cost - embodied carbon in retrofit materials and the potential for future waste.