Deadline looms to enter 2025 AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards

Completed an innovative adaptive reuse project? The deadline to enter the 2025 AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards is this Friday (21 February)

The AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards celebrate architectural expertise and ingenuity in the physical and environmental adaptation and upgrade of buildings, and the reuse of building materials and structure in response to the climate emergency and changing requirements of use.

The awards (formerly the AJ Retrofit Awards) were retrofitted themselves last year – brought up to date with the introduction of brand-new categories, which the AJ adapted with the help of industry experts to make more appropriate to the discussion surrounding repurposing and renovating existing buildings.

These range from adaptive reuse to positive addition, to decarbonisation and net zero. The 15 categories are listed below.

At this year’s inaugural awards – held last September – all shortlisted practices were able to present their projects to a panel of judges. This will be repeated in 2025.

The awards saw Scottish practices coming out strong. Glasgow-based O’DonnellBrown won top prize Retrofit of the Year for its Glasgow ‘defurb’ of New Olympia House. The sensitive £1.7 million scheme has transformed a former Salvation Army Citadel in Bridgeton into 280m² of commercial office space, announced on the streetscape by a sculptural metal entrance tower.

Source: David Barbour

New Olympia House by O'DonnellBrown

The AJ’s editorial team said that the overhaul ticked all the boxes of what a good adaptive reuse should be: making careful interventions while improving the sustainability and lifespan of a building but, above all, creating something special for the community.

Glasgow and Leeds-based practice Page\Park won the 2024 Practice of the Year accolade for its excellence in conservation and adaption of existing buildings, while Client of the Year was awarded to Historic England for pushing hard for over 15 years for the repair and transformation of the world’s first iron-framed building – Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings – into a social enterprise hub and leisure destination – and in doing so creating a flagship heritage regeneration project.

Have a retrofit project that similarly fits the bill? The deadline for entries is 21 February 2025 and your project must have completed between 1 July 2023 and 31 January 2025 (except for the Retrofit revisited and Future reuse categories).

The awards ceremony will be hosted again at The Brewery, London, on Wednesday 10 September 2025, the same day as AJ Retrofit Live. More details and entry requirements can be found here.

AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards 2025 categories

Adaptive reuse into mixed use The conversion and repurposing of an existing building to multiple uses other than that for which it was originally built.
Adaptive reuse into office The conversion and repurposing of an existing building to a new use that must include workspace. The new use must differ to that for which it was originally built.
Adaptive reuse into residential The conversion and repurposing of an existing building to a new use that must include housing. The new use must differ from that for which it was originally built. Excludes one-off houses.
Adaptive reuse into other The conversion and repurposing of an existing building to a single use other than office or residential and other than that for which it was originally built.
Climate resilience and adaptation Projects with a focus on adaptations/additions intended to deal with or mitigate environmental change and weather extremes. Can be adaptions to both/either built fabric or landscaping including increased shading, incorporation of green roofs, landscaping SuDS strategies etc.
Conservation and historic The restoration or careful upgrade of ancient, historic or listed buildings and structures.
Decarbonisation and net zero Projects involving the environmental upgrade of fabric and services of large or multi-occupancy buildings or multiple buildings across a property portfolio OR data-driven projects that have specifically or demonstrably targeted net zero benchmarks during their upgrade in anticipation of the grid becoming decarbonised. For example: council schemes to upgrade and electrify housing stock etc.
Deconstruction and reuse New-build or retrofit projects demonstrating circularity and the reuse of building components, materials and structural elements from previous buildings. For example, reclaimed doors or flooring. Excludes reuse of a stripped-back concrete frame alone.
Fit-out Projects focused on the rework and refresh of interior spaces, including shop and commercial fit-outs, employing low-carbon and circular economy principles.
Future reuse Planned and future projects on the drawing board, particularly those looking to push the envelope in terms of retrofit and reuse.
Meanwhile and grassroots Neighbourhood-based and community-initiated and/or led projects, or temporary retrofit projects for meanwhile use in anticipation of a larger retrofit scheme.
Positive addition Projects that include new build adjoining an old/existing element. Must involve the renovation of the existing as well as a new-build addition that together extend the useful life of the whole. The existing needs to be larger in m² than the new-build element. Excludes domestic projects.
Private/individual renovation From domestic renovations and home extensions to other personal projects designed to improve private houses or properties.
Project under £800,000 Retrofit on a budget and for smaller renovation or adaptive reuse projects.
Retrofit revisited Open to retrofits over five years old, celebrating proven long-life/long-lasting projects. Can include projects that have previously been entered for an AJ Retrofit Award. Projects must have been completed before January 2020.