Building retrofit

Our teams begin with a strategic assessment to identify the most suitable retrofit pathway for each asset or portfolio, from targeted energy upgrades and systems optimisation to major physical retrofit and reconfiguration. We offer cost-benefit modeling, disruption planning and phasing strategies to build support and shape decision-making which meet both business and ESG goals.

Helping clients see the opportunity

80 M Street SE – timber-enabled vertical renewal

Expanding the scale and potential of existing commercial buildings is always a challenge. At 80 M Street SE, we delivered the first commercial office building in Washington DC to feature a vertical extension constructed using mass timber.  The 108,000ft2 addition adds three full floors to the existing 7-storey concrete building, including a penthouse level with additional office and amenity spaces and a rooftop terrace.

Find out more about our work on 80 M Street SE

Quay Quarter Tower, Sydney – ambitious high-rise retrofit sets new standards

At 216 m and 54 storeys, Sydney’s Quay Quarter Tower is one of the most ambitious large-scale building retrofits ever undertaken. Retaining 65% of its original structure and 98% of its core, the transformation doubled usable space to 102,000 m², saved 12,000 tonnes of embodied carbon, and redefined the potential of circular design in high-rise reuse.

Find out more about our work on Quay Quarter Tower

In many cases, we focus on transforming properties into Grade A commercial spaces, enabling adaptive reuse, or enhancing the building’s resilience and performance. Although every part of the property market has its own commercial drivers and market priorities, the overall goal is improved user experience, increased tenant appeal, development of additional usable area and improved marketability.  

V&A East storehouse – from Olympics media centre to inspiring museum experience

Like many major museums, the V&A hosts an enormous collection of objects and cultural treasures, that aren’t on display to the public. To share more of its collection to public the V&A decided to open a new gallery site in Hackney Wick, at HereEast, formerly the media centre for London’s 2012 Olympic Games. We delivered an adaptive reuse producing a radically different, accessible and immersive visitor experience that brings a wide range of design and architectural exhibits closer to the public.

Our multidisciplinary engineering and design team managed the addition of new storeys to house display areas, research spaces and conservation studios, while minimising structural interventions overall. The retrofit balances conservation and environmental performance, enabling long-term climate resilience while safeguarding over 500,000 items from the V&A’s collection through purpose-built spaces and innovative, energy-efficient environmental controls that protect fragile exhibits.

Find out more about our work at the V&A East

Sir William Henry Bragg Building, University of Leeds – education conversion to high performance scientific research laboratory

Arup repurposed and sensitively extended this Grade II listed facility for advanced learning and research, creating a home for some of the UK’s most sophisticated electron microscope technology. The redevelopment added a new storey and connected the original structure to a seven-storey complex, providing a diverse range of environments designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.

Find out more about our work on the Sir William Henry Bragg Building

In competitive property markets like the commercial office sector, we know that tenants and buyers value thoughtful, human-centric design and want an end-user experience that matches their own brand and priorities. We believe this can be achieved in a sustainable, commercially appealing way.

Discover how we're helping our clients

The Acre, London – from 1970s brutalist building to wellbeing-centred office space

Arup engineered the transformation of an obsolete 1970s building into a high-performing, people-centered workplace. By retaining much of the original structure and integrating advanced energy and water efficiency measures, the refurbishment reduced operational energy use from fully renewable sources by over 70% and halved water consumption, while enhancing wellbeing and creating new public space.

Find out more about our work at The Acre

1, Triton Square – ageing office building pioneers retrofit ambitions

As the area shifted towards the science and technology market, 1 Triton Square needed to adapt and expand. Arup delivered a major transformation that increased the building’s size and market relevance, adding three new floors and doubling the net office area while retaining the existing façades and superstructure, achieving a BREEAM Outstanding sustainability rating.

Find out more about our work on Triton Square

We help our clients address these challenges by identifying potential constraints and hidden issues early in the process, and reduce the impact on ongoing operations to minimise void periods. By developing a phased approach to retrofit we ensure that disruption is minimized in live environments, while enhancements to the end user experience are being made.

We can provide a range of services to review climate and ESG risks. We understand the growing demand for all electric efficient buildings, able to meet tenant's and investors net zero targets, while adapting to the physical risk of a changing climate.

Helping clients manage risks

Claridges Hotel – ambitious expansion for a hospitality legend

For Claridge’s, Arup managed the complex extension of the hotel while it remained fully operational, creating new space beneath the building’s Art Deco Wing through the construction of a five-storey basement. We adopted pioneering tunnel design solutions to provide vertical support and protection to the historic structure while enabling the distribution of building services, allowing us to minimise disruption, manage risks in a live environment, and ultimately enhance the hotel’s long-term capacity and guest experience.

Find out more about our work for Claridges

George Green Library – education refurbishment and extension in live environment

Arup transformed an outdated 1960s structure into a modern hub for learning and innovation while keeping the building open throughout construction. The refurbishment doubled the usable space and introduced a new unifying façade, with Arup developing a detailed phasing and construction strategy to enable continuous operation during the works.

Find out more about our work at George Green Library

Procuratie Vecchi – managing risks and achieving transformation for a historic building

Arup provided engineering and digital design services for the restoration of the 16th-century Procuratie Vecchie in Venice, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, now home to modern offices and public exhibition and events spaces. Using advanced digital tools to analyse the existing structure, our multidisciplinary team developed minimal, non-intrusive retrofit measures that preserved its historic character while enhancing structural integrity and functionality.

York Guildhall refurbishment – managing risks at a key heritage site

York’s Guildhall has been a key feature of this historic city since its first construction in the 1440s. Arup refurbished York Guildhall to create new community spaces, offices, and a home for the University of York, balancing heritage preservation with modern functionality.

During excavation works, the team worked with archaeologists to develop a protection scheme and adapt the substructure design, minimising impact and keeping works on track. We used digital tools to capture detailed 3D imagery before construction and handover, giving the client a full digital record and enabling remote collaboration while safeguarding the site’s historic fabric and structure.

Find out more about our work on York Guildhall

Our approach spans three stages:

1. Assess: climate risk assessment and an identification of hazard vulnerabilities
2. Advise: develop adaptive climate adaptation plans and resilience strategies
3. Act: design and implement practical interventions for climate adaptation

Drawing on Arup’s global expertise, we provide end-to-end solutions integrating advisory insights with engineering and design for robust, future-ready outcomes. Grounded in systems thinking, we provide integrated adaptation and resilience planning to support clients, helping them to identify and prepare for plausible future climate threats.