35 Lincoln’s Inn Fields Retrofit Building Project

AJ Retrofit Live this week delivered another impressive lineup of speakers and case studies. It was especially interesting to learn more about the design ethos and progress being made at The London School of Economics, 35 Lincoln’s Inn Field. 

The FabricSurvey team carried out the retrofit building project investigation in the Autumn of 2023, and seeing the progress made by the team and their ongoing commitment to the net zero transformation is inspiring.  

Sustainable Retrofit: Firoz Lalji Global Hub

The redevelopment of 35 Lincoln’s Inn Field into the Firoz Lalji Global Hub, comprises a deep retrofit which has taken a twist on the typical heritage approach to preservation, along with a focus on the recycling and reuse of the building’s original fabric into the new building.

It is also the first of LSE’s buildings to reach Net Zero, Passivhaus and WELL Platinum Certification standards, despite being a retrofit building project.

Retrofit Project Investigations On Key Structural Elements

Particularly impressive to see was the proposal to reuse the masonry bricks from both the internal walls and façade to form the entrance to the Agora Space. The FabricSurvey included careful removal and retrofit testing of brick samples for their compressive strength to inform their suitability for re-use and aid the overall project sustainability goals.

FabricSurveys’ retrofit project investigations were also undertaken on the retained steel frame, floor plates, window lintels, decorative stone façade and balconies where the new teaching facilities in the two-storey vertical extensions will be located.

I’m excited to see the completed building and am already looking forward to next year’s AJ Retrofit Live conference.

Dr Matthew Hooper

Director