Elliott Wood is supporting a new PhD research initiative in partnership with BuildZero and the University of Sheffield.
Led by Dr Helen Fairclough and supported by Professor Danielle Densley Tingley, the project will unlock practical ways to assess and enable reuse of buildings — cutting waste, reducing carbon, and helping the industry build more sustainably.
Enabling the reuse of buildings
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This research will help close the gap between academic insight and industry need — turning ideas into real-world solutions that everyone can use.
Repurpose, extend or adapt?
The research is developing a framework to help the industry decide whether a building can be repurposed, extended or adapted.
By evaluating key components — structure, façade and services — it will identify opportunities for change of use, extension and improved climate resilience. These tools will support quicker, smarter assessments and help reduce the need for disruptive investigations — lowering both risk and cost.
To truly tackle the climate emergency, the built environment must radically rethink how we use and reuse our resources. Today, buildings and construction account for more than 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the UK, the sector is also responsible for over 60% of waste and consumes around half of all extracted materials.
For more information, please contact Elliott Wood's project lead, Ben Holmes.
