DON'T WASTE BUILDINGS is the voluntary effort to make housing and development simpler and easier through the reuse of existing buildings.
We aim to put a spotlight on embodied carbon and make the case for the productive use of empty and underperforming buildings.
These buildings, all over the UK and globally, are untapped economic and social assets, not structures to be casually discarded. They could be utilised to deliver much-needed housing and development at greater speed, lower cost and with less of an impact on our environment.
DWB is calling on governments to stimulate economic growth while tackling embodied carbon emissions by introducing regulation and financial incentives that will make the reuse of existing buildings simpler and more profitable, making retrofit the preferred approach for developers and investors. Read our ‘Hymn Sheet’ (or manifesto) HERE.
The campaign is non-party political and is run by a collection of individuals made up of leading architects, engineers, property developers, financiers, heritage experts, and others.
DWB was co-founded in late 2022 by Leanne Tritton, Chair of The London Society and Founder of ING Media, Will Hurst, Managing Editor of The Architects’ Journal, and Richard Nelson, Founder & Managing Director of Abyss and Chair (2020-24) of the Institute of Directors Property and Built Environment Group.
We have about 150 founding members in Greater London, as well as over 2,100 LinkedIn group members who attend our regular in-person meetings and case study tours, get involved in online discussions, and support the campaign.
We have grown in reach, with UK chapters now in London, Birmingham (West Midlands), Manchester (North West) and Glasgow (Scotland), as well as our first international chapter in Melbourne, covering Australia and New Zealand.
DWB’s volunteer corps put their professional skills to use in one of our six Work-streams, all focused on helping us meet our goals: Engagement, Financial & Tax Incentives, Emerging Policies, Case Studies, Research/AI (ChatDWB) and Profile Building.
There are six ways in which DWB will help push the ‘retrofit first’ agenda:
Engage: Meet with politicians and policymakers to discuss how ‘retrofit first’ can create economic growth and deliver much-needed housing, along with addressing a number of other social and environmental objectives.
Recommend: Explore and recommend potential policies and financial incentives.
Inform: Share information, collate reports, and record evidence and case studies of best practice.
Demonstrate: Make the case for re-purposing existing buildings through case studies, tours and meeting with developers who have done it.
Collaborate: Leverage the strength of other industry organisations to amplify our collective voice.
Educate: Engage with communities to spread the message locally.
Please visit our LinkedIn group page to read the previous discussions, learn about the issues, and join the campaign to help encourage economic growth while reducing the impact of embodied carbon in the UK construction and real estate industries.
If you would like to get involved, feel free to message Richard Nelson via LinkedIn, or email to info@dontwastebuildings.com.
Visit the Don’t Waste Buildings website HERE.