The concept of a building being not fit for purpose has been used for any years to justify demolition at huge environmental and social cost. In previous generations this would have been almost unthinkable. The buildings we now cherish stood the test of time and are now extremely desirable. What does it take for buildings assumed ‘not fit for purpose’ to be redeveloped continuing to fulfil their potential? How can we challenge the arguments that buildings should be demolished and reimagine them as high-value prime real estate?

Stakeholders from various disciplines will debate:

• what are the characteristics of buildings which the next generation are looking for
• how can we challenge the standards for offices that are used to communicate a high spec desirable workspace
• what elements within specification are the most important to users, that they are willing to pay for
• strategies for preserving character both inside buildings and in the street scene