As part of our Carbon Matters series, we would like to share the work of our colleague Eva on championing re-use as part of our response to the climate crisis. We are a re-use practice and firmly believe in the importance of re-using existing buildings in creative and innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions from construction, to maintain a rich and coherent heritage in the built environment and to support community cohesion.

As a member of ACAN Scotland, Eva was part of the team of volunteers who developed an interactive demolition map of the UK highlighting the extent of demolished or threatened buildings since 2016, the year of the Paris Agreement.  Eva presented the Demolition Map at the the “Hug the building” opening event to launch the map in London earlier this year. The evening sparked some powerful conversations about the profession’s role in avoiding unnecessary demolition, as well as future-focused ideas around urban mining and the development of reuse material banks within our cities. The energy in the room was inspiring – a reminder that collective action and knowledge-sharing are essential as we rethink how we build, preserve, and adapt. The panel of speakers – Simon Sturgis, Will Hurst, Alice Brown, and Sara Edmonds – were truly inspirational, offering thoughtful and urgent perspectives on demolition, preservation, and the need to reframe our relationship with the built environment.

Every year 50,000 buildings are demolished in the UK – a huge and unnecessary waste. The map includes both listed and unlisted buildings. It does not replicate the buildings at risk register but instead seeks to quantify the wider threat to the built environment.

The interactive map includes demolished, threatened and saved buildings to build a wide ranging picture. This will allow for meaningful discussion around the issues of demolition, ownership, wilful neglect, maintenance and the role of local / national authorities in preventing dereliction. The aim is to influence local and national policy making and instigate change in our attitude towards existing buildings.

Anyone can nominate a building to be included on the map. The nominations are verified by the team of volunteers and over time will build a picture of the true scale of wasteful demolition. You can view the map, and nominate a building, at www.demolitionmap.uk