4.1.2. Sustainability
Upgrading our building stock to reduce energy use will make an important contribution to the country’s targets to achieve a zero-carbon economy. In July 2019 the Isle of Wight Council declared a climate emergency. A draft Climate and Environment Strategy was published in December 2020 online at iow.moderngov.co.uk.
Heritage-led design honours the history of a place and climate-conscious design safeguards a place for the future. Shopfront design can help support climate action in a number of simple but effective ways:
Longevity
Longevity. Buildings and shopfronts that last the longest are the most sustainable as the carbon embodied in their design is not lost but remains in use. The greenest building is the one that already exists. It is nearly always more energy efficient to repurpose a building than to start again. Ways to maximise longevity include:
- Investing in long-lasting materials safeguards the building for the future. Properly maintained traditional materials can last many years without the need for replacement.
- By designing buildings with flexibility in mind, the building is more likely to be used in the future. Buildings that can work as either residential or retail units and offer street level access to the upper storeys allow the use of the space to evolve over time. Overly precise purpose-built shopfronts become defunct once the business moves or closes down.
- Reusing existing features not only preserves the historic character of the building frontage, but also bypasses the need to produce new features.
Street Use
By making shops and the street a more comfortable place to be, people are encouraged to spend time in their local high street and shop locally rather than, perhaps, drive to a less sustainable out of town option. Simple but effective ways of making the street more comfortable and enticing include:
- Blinds and awnings can be used to reduce solar glare, making the interior of the shop more comfortable and protecting the goods being sold, preventing waste.
- Blinds and awnings can be used to provide shade on the street, allowing people to dine and shop outside.
Energy Efficiency
Historic buildings perform differently to modern buildings in terms of energy efficiency. Measures shopfronts can adopt to improve energy efficiency include:
- Blinds and canopies protect windows from the sun therefore preventing the shop from overheating.
- Insulation. Insulating shopfronts is difficult owing to the large windows. But where possible, insulating the upper storeys is an effective energy efficiency measure.
- Ventilation through opening transom lights is a cost-effective and natural way to improve air flow through a shop, helping to control temperatures. This reduces the need for electronic air conditioning.
- Double glazing helps to regulate the temperature of the shop’s interior. Particularly using slimline, evacuated glass double-glazing reduces the thickness of frames needed to accommodate it.
See further guidance from Historic England on energy efficiency and historic buildings online at historicengland.org.uk.
