ABSTRACT
There is a growing interest in the UK in upgrading existing office buildings in order to allow them to compete with an ever-growing volume of new energy-efficient buildings. The impetus of BREEAM and LEED certification has highlighted the unsatisfactory state of many offices, particularly those constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. Their poor quality is expressed in inadequate standards of indoor climate, whether measured in terms of particulate levels, thermal comfort or acoustic conditions. For owners and tenants, there are generally high utility bills, poor staff morale (and hence productivity) and a shabby image. Such buildings are not able to compete in market terms and carry a heavy carbon penalty. Hence, the focus has shifted towards the relatively unglamorous area (in architectural terms) of office refurbishment.
