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Research

Evidence before demolition.

Our in-house research team studies embodied carbon, circular materials and the economic value of retaining what already exists.

Concrete and glass façade of a retained industrial building

Featured · Report12 min read

Evidence before demolition: the carbon case for reuse

Analysis of 40 projects shows retention cuts upfront carbon by 50–70% — and is rarely more expensive.

Geometric building façade with repeating panels

Materials8 min read

Circular materials at city scale

How reclaimed brick, steel and timber can move between projects — and what stops them.

Civic building interior opening towards the street

Public realm6 min read

The value of an open ground floor

Active, accessible ground floors increase footfall, safety and long-term rental value.

Bright interior of a converted warehouse in Dubai

Climate7 min read

Designing streets for 45°C summers

Lessons from Alserkal on shade, materials and airflow in extreme heat.

Concrete and glass façade of a retained industrial building

ReportSep 202612 min read

Evidence before demolition: the carbon case for reuse

Across 40 of our own and peer projects, keeping the primary structure of an existing building reduced upfront embodied carbon by between 50% and 70% compared with an equivalent new build.

Cost was the most common reason given for demolition. Yet in 31 of the 40 cases, the retained option was within 5% of the new-build cost once programme, enabling works and planning risk were included.

We recommend every major demolition decision is preceded by a published retention study, comparing carbon, cost and social value side by side.

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Geometric building façade with repeating panels

MaterialsJul 20268 min read

Circular materials at city scale

Every year our cities demolish thousands of tonnes of usable brick, steel and timber. Most is downcycled into aggregate.

We mapped material flows across three boroughs and found that a small shared storage yard, combined with early design for reuse, could supply up to a fifth of the structural steel for local projects.

The main barriers are warranties and timing — both solvable with better coordination between clients, contractors and councils.

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Civic building interior opening towards the street

Public realmMay 20266 min read

The value of an open ground floor

A building meets the city at its ground floor. When that floor is closed — blank walls, private lobbies, car parks — the street around it empties.

Tracking footfall around six of our completed projects, we found that opening the ground floor to public uses increased pedestrian activity by an average of 38% within two years.

We now design the ground floor first, and treat it as public infrastructure rather than leftover space.

Talk to our research team →
Bright interior of a converted warehouse in Dubai

ClimateMar 20267 min read

Designing streets for 45°C summers

In Dubai, the difference between a usable street and an empty one can be a few degrees of shade.

At Alserkal we combined fabric canopies, planted courtyards and narrower lanes oriented to prevailing winds. Midday surface temperatures dropped by up to 8°C.

The same principles — shade, orientation, water and planting — are now shaping our work in cities facing their first extreme summers.

Talk to our research team →