VALERON
Responsibility
Our starting point is what can be kept. Regeneration is, before anything else, a decision not to demolish.
01
Respect what exists. Improve what comes next.
A building that already stands represents work that has already been done — materials already extracted, a frame already cast, a position in the street already established. The first question of any regeneration is how much of that survives into the next use.
The answer is specific to the building. Retention is assessed rather than assumed, and on some buildings the honest answer is that very little can be kept. Those buildings are not candidates.
02
The four subjects
Structure, energy, materials and place — in that order, because each constrains the one after it.
Structure
Frame, foundations and floors are retained wherever they can carry the new use. Retention is assessed building by building; it is not assumed and it is not always possible.
Energy
Envelope and services are addressed as part of the change of use, with the aim of a building that is cheaper and steadier to run than the one it replaces.
Materials
What comes out is assessed for reuse before it is assessed for disposal. Specification favours materials that can be maintained rather than only replaced.
Place
A regenerated building keeps its street. Ground floors are treated as part of the public realm rather than as leftover area.
03
Project-level assessment
We assess retention, energy performance and materials at project level.