ABSTRACT
This book is the report on our RIBA-funded research project presenting the state of the art of sustainable retrofits in post-war residential towers in Britain. The main aim in writing this book is to capture and re-inform the current intense refurbishing process that is taking place in this country, which is part of a global phenomenon happening all over Europe and the world, as cities are upgrading their building stock in an attempt to comply with governmental emission reduction targets. In the UK, greenhouse gas emissions must be drastically reduced by 80 per cent of the 1990 levels by 2050. High-rise concrete tower blocks offer some of the best candidates for an energy-efficient upgrade, presenting structural vulnerability to cold, draughts and damp, becoming unaffordable to heat, unattractive to view and undesirable to occupy.
