We've retrofitted our retrofit events!
The Architects’ Journal is delighted to be combining two flagship events under one roof in 2024. Both events will take place at The Brewery in London on 11 September 2024, uniting our community of retrofit and reuse experts, practitioners and advisers to champion and celebrate positive change for the built environment.
Why did we retrofit the retrofit awards?
To make them more relevant to the industry by celebrating and highlighting the diversity of approaches to retrofit in a much more tailored way through introducing fresh categories.
To make them a more distinctive event – including through a live judging element, one focused on and able to dig down and interrogate process and method in the adaption and upgrade of buildings as much as the finished result.
To highlight the key growing importance of reuse of materials and structure – reflected in the change of title of the awards.
To update and upgrade the environmental data required to make the awards a more exacting test in their celebration of architectural expertise and ingenuity in retrofit and reuse.
Early bird savings are available until 19 January 2024 for awards entries and 15 June 2024 for conference tickets. We also offer bundles that save you up to 15% if you attend both events.
The AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards
The AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards are an evolution of the well-established Retrofit Awards. All 14 categories have been refreshed and for three of these new categories: Climate resilience and adaption, Deconstruction and reuse, and Private/individual renovation we’re introducing live judging. Shortlisted practices will present their projects live in front of a jury and audience earlier in the day at the AJ Retrofit Live conference.
Entry Deadline
Recognising excellence in retrofit is a very important thing to do as we face up to the climate crisis. We need to reduce carbon emissions now; to retrofit a building rather than demolishing and replacing saves all the embodied carbon while reducing the in-use emissions of the existing building. It's so important to celebrate this kind of architecture in the same way as we celebrate new buildings.
I really enjoyed judging at this year’s AJ Retrofit Awards. The awards are a wonderful way for projects and their teams to be recognised for the hard work, skill and ingenuity in reworking existing buildings for all sorts of uses. The awards ceremony is a further great way to celebrate and join other leading names in the industry for a night to gather and reflect on the achievements of those shortlisted.
In an age when we are facing potentially catastrophic climate breakdown and all that entails, the AJ Retrofit Awards highlight the importance of adapting and re-imaging our built environment through the careful use of existing resources. The awards promote the highest standards of architecture and design and set the benchmark in the conservation of all that is important in our historic built environment.
The AJ Retrofit Awards are quite unique – not only do they reward first class design, successful project delivery and client/user satisfaction, they also celebrate how the best architectural interventions can completely transform a building and how its users experience it. We all know that working with existing buildings is a challenge but it is something that as an industry we need to get much better at, and fast. The more we can re-use, recycle, upgrade, transform and inspire through great architecture, the better for everyone. That is what the AJ Retrofit Awards are all about.
The AJ Retrofit Awards has quickly become an exemplary champion of intelligently crafted reuse in architecture. It fosters an important discussion of design quality and sustainability at a time when we now more than ever are recognising the critical need to make the most of the buildings we already have, not just those yet to be built.
Retro-fit; repurposing a redundant shell, reigniting a tired interior, or simply extending a house. In prolonging the useful life of our existing building stock, this award rewards the toil of those railing against the throw-away culture - to recycle, it is a celebration of the genuinely sustainable.
Recognising excellence in retrofit is a very important thing to do as we face up to the climate crisis. We need to reduce carbon emissions now; to retrofit a building rather than demolishing and replacing saves all the embodied carbon while reducing the in-use emissions of the existing building. It's so important to celebrate this kind of architecture in the same way as we celebrate new buildings.
I really enjoyed judging at this year’s AJ Retrofit Awards. The awards are a wonderful way for projects and their teams to be recognised for the hard work, skill and ingenuity in reworking existing buildings for all sorts of uses. The awards ceremony is a further great way to celebrate and join other leading names in the industry for a night to gather and reflect on the achievements of those shortlisted.
In an age when we are facing potentially catastrophic climate breakdown and all that entails, the AJ Retrofit Awards highlight the importance of adapting and re-imaging our built environment through the careful use of existing resources. The awards promote the highest standards of architecture and design and set the benchmark in the conservation of all that is important in our historic built environment.
The AJ Retrofit Awards are quite unique – not only do they reward first class design, successful project delivery and client/user satisfaction, they also celebrate how the best architectural interventions can completely transform a building and how its users experience it. We all know that working with existing buildings is a challenge but it is something that as an industry we need to get much better at, and fast. The more we can re-use, recycle, upgrade, transform and inspire through great architecture, the better for everyone. That is what the AJ Retrofit Awards are all about.
AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards
Celebrate architectural expertise and ingenuity in the physical and environmental adaption and upgrade of buildings, and the reuse of building materials and structure in response to the climate emergency and changing requirements of use.
Venue
The Brewery is one of the UK’s leading unique event venues. It is an 18th-century, Grade II-listed brewery retrofitted into a London venue.
AJ Retrofit Live
Returning for a third year to unite architects, their built environment colleagues, clients, and lawmakers.
Excellent event, very relevant and interested audience. Much more relevant than we had hoped. I will definitely be back next year.
Charles Devenish, managing director, Adexon Fire & Smoke Curtains
A great event to learn about the UK Retrofit sector and meet those delivering our Net Zero Carbon future.
Ángel Morales-Aguilar, partner, LDN Architects
The AJ Retrofit agenda captures everything that is important right now in carbon reduction commitment and helps keep the momentum. It brings together some of the best minds in the industry , and shares the passion and determination to make a difference. Well done AJ.
Colin Bignell, sales director, Selectaglaze
The quality and range of speakers and discussions was excellent. I'd also like to thanks the team organising and hosting the event who delivered a polished event from start to finish.
Joe Penn, sustainability officer, City of London Corporation
I felt nicely retrofitted after it!
Jeffery Smith, author