Retrofit Is the New Build

Why Dublin’s smartest developers are re-engineering performance instead of starting from scratch.

Dublin’s commercial buildings are getting older - and more valuable - at the same time. That’s the paradox driving green retrofits: keep the character and location, make the performance match today’s expectations, and do it without turning the occupier’s life upside-down.

“The greenest building is often the one that already exists - but only if you can prove it will perform,” - Gary Quinn, Executive Director, Senior Mechanical Engineer

For owners, developers, and project teams, the real question isn’t “Can we reuse it?” It’s “Can we guarantee how it will behave once it’s full of people, systems, and real-world schedules?” That’s where engineering has to carry the weight - not as a box-ticking exercise, but as the way you de-risk design decisions before they’re poured, bolted, or procured.

Why retrofit is winning - even for landmark assets

We’re seeing major clients choose reuse for flagship projects. Reasons vary - embodied carbon, planning pragmatics, programme, location - but the pattern is clear: retrofit is no longer a compromise; it’s a strategy.

Google Treasury (1940s landmark).

A 1940s landmark building now being re-engineered for a leading global tech client. A heritage shell with atypical structure - varying slab-to-slab heights, mezzanines, and quirks you don’t find in a new box. The attraction is obvious: cultural value, prime location, and carbon reuse. The challenge is equally clear: turning a seventy-plus-year-old building into a high-performing workplace without flattening what makes it special.

“With existing buildings, you meet the real structure - not the ideal one. BIM earns its keep by translating those nuances into design certainty.”

Irish Life HQ (1970s campus, handover due around Christmas).

Owner-occupier, with shell, core and fit-out delivered as one programme. The façade is retained and upgraded, two floors are added, and the original architectural language is respected rather than erased.

“We’re effectively reversing modern design logic into a 1970s frame - and then proving it works with data.”

4–5 Grand Canal (Union Investment; former Facebook HQ).

A deep green retrofit on ~300,000 sq ft that speaks to investor logic: protect long-term asset value, lift performance, and keep options open for future occupiers.

“Investors are backing retrofits that de-risk value. Embodied carbon matters - but so does FM readiness and operational reality.”

Embodied carbon is only half the story

Keeping structure and façades in place is a carbon win - but it can’t be the only metric. A reused frame that leaks heat or drives high plant loads is not a solution.

At Irish Life HQ, the façade was fully upgraded to modern thermal performance while retaining the character of the campus. That means glass and solid elements meeting a standard that holds up under detailed modelling and later, under real use.

“Our early sustainability reports set the targets - then everything from window specs to solid wall build-ups had to stack up to hit them.”

Model the life your tenant actually lives

Operational Energy Modelling (OEM) is where retrofit decisions move from feel-good to financeable. It lets clients test how behaviour changes outcomes long before the first fix.

“Operational energy modelling lets clients see the building they’re about to occupy before it even exists,” says Gary. “At Irish Life HQ, we sat down with the client and ran through real scenarios - things like ‘If we didn’t cook on Saturday, how much energy would that save?’ It sounds simple, but those small behavioural tweaks can add up to real savings when you understand them early enough.”

Unlike traditional ratings that rely on theoretical assumptions, OEM draws on real-world data — actual energy bills, metering, and usage patterns - to forecast how a building will perform once people move in. It links mechanical, electrical, and user behaviour into one clear performance picture, letting owners and investors see how their asset will behave before they commit capital.

“A BER tells you what should happen. OEM tells you what will happen - and lets you do something about it.”

By combining geometry, orientation, occupancy, HVAC profiles, and operational schedules, OEM turns design intent into science-backed predictability. It’s what enables developers to test ESG commitments, cost consultants to model paybacks, and FM teams to manage performance with confidence from day one.

“It’s not about hitting a theoretical target - it’s about proving the building will behave the way you’ve promised it will.”

OEM isn’t just about a final number; it’s a tool for choosing strategies. Ventilation rates, hours of operation, plant sequencing, kitchen loads, weekend policies - get those right, and you protect both ESG targets and OPEX.

BIM: the bridge between past and future

Retrofits fail when assumptions meet reality too late. With older structures - irregular grids, legacy cores, level changes - coordination is where projects live or die.

“BIM earns its place by turning ‘interesting’ existing conditions into predictable design. 3D views, axonometric checks, clash context - you get a shared truth the whole team can build from.”

Crucially, the information inside the model matters as much as the geometry. Handovers that still rely on ring binders leave value on the table.

“We design to a coordinated ‘Level 4’ model with the right data built in. The contractor then completes the as-built model with the agreed naming conventions so FM can actually use it on day one.”

This is what links retrofit to long-term performance: a model that’s not just beautiful, but match-fit for operations - asset tags, manufacturer data, capacities, maintenance intervals, integration pathways. That’s when a reused building becomes a smart building.

Ratings are fine. Real performance is better.

Badges have their place, but they shouldn’t drive the engineering. The smarter conversation is about outcomes: comfort, resilience, energy, maintainability, and the tenant experience.

“You can copy-paste a rating checklist. You can’t copy-paste a building that actually works for its occupiers.”

That’s why many teams now pair targeted certifications with OEM and a clear FM handover strategy. Together, they make a retrofit bankable: better clarity for cost consultants, fewer surprises for contractors, and a building that performs to plan rather than to hope.

Three hard-earned lessons for retrofit teams

1. Decide the non-negotiables early.
   Embodied carbon goals, façade strategy, and plant philosophy (electrification, heat recovery, diversity) need agreement before procurement momentum takes over.
   
   
2. Model behaviour, not just systems.
   Test opening hours, catering, cleaning, events, and weekend profiles. Energy models become decision tools, not just compliance artefacts.
   
   
3. Make FM your first stakeholder, not your last.
   Standardise naming conventions; require as-built models that your client can actually operate. The quickest way to lose embodied gains is to run a building badly.
   

Where this is headed

LEED v5 is coming. Investor scrutiny isn’t easing. Tenants still want great locations and better spaces with transparent, predictable operating costs. Demolish-and-rebuild is rarely the fastest, cheapest, or greenest route to those outcomes in a European city.

“Retrofit is not the consolation prize. Done properly, it’s the most intelligent way to protect asset value and hit ESG targets without compromising the building’s story.”

If you’re weighing a difficult reuse, here’s the simple test: can you prove performance before you build it? If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track.

- Gary