As conservationists, you know very well how vital your work is in conserving, adaptive reuse, retrofitting and reusing existing buildings to reduce the country’s carbon footprint. The buildings we live in, work in and enjoy are our embodied memory - shaped by time, use and community. Preserving them fosters our identity and belonging.
While the environmental case for preserving existing buildings through adaptive reuse and retrofitting is gathering pace, thousands of viable structures are still being destroyed every year in the name of progress. The scale of such wastefulness is even more troubling as the world confronts climate change and the need for rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
As you know, existing buildings and their regeneration offer economic and social potential. This talk and our discussion will examine why buildings are being demolished, using local examples – and the policy changes that are needed to strengthen the case for reusing and giving new purpose to those we already have.
As a member of Hampshire Buildings Preservation Trust and the Portsmouth Society, Celia Clark has saved local buildings from demolition, giving them sustainable new life. As a member of Civic Voice’s expert panel and as an academic, she contributes to national and international debates on planning and the future of defence heritage.
About the speaker
Celia Clark is an expert on transitioning former defence sites to civilian uses. Not only working locally, Celia also works at a national and international level, and has been campaigning to improve the built and natural environment of Portsmouth since 1973.
Find out more about our RIBA South Conservation Group
Important event information
Event format: The 40 to 45 minute presentation by the guest speaker, followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions via chat messages or voice.
Accessibility: We strive to ensure our events are accessible. If you have any questions on how to join or participate in this event, please email riba.sse@riba.org before the event date and time.
The joining link to the talk will be sent out a week before the event.
