The shift to hybrid and remote work that began during the pandemic continues in many companies today. That shift is reducing demand for office space, leaving a large number of office buildings vacant.
According to the Site Selection Group, the nation had approximately 1 billion square feet of vacant office space in 2024. That marked an all-time high, with vacancy rates surpassing 15% in several major cities.
As downtown office centers remain vacant, revitalization projects are on the rise, with many of these offices slated for new leases on life through retrofitting.
Retrofitting buildings is the process of modifying or upgrading existing buildings to improve functionality and energy efficiency. These modifications extend the lifespan of older buildings – spreading embodied carbon across a longer period – and enhance their performance.
Retrofitting existing buildings versus demolishing and building new can also have significant savings in embodied carbon. According to the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), the carbon payback of new construction and retrofits varies based on factors such as location and climate, but generally, retrofitting a building typically reduces embodied carbon by 50-75%.
IMT also cites a report by Preservation Green Lab, which “found that new buildings can take anywhere between 10-80 years to pay back the emissions generated from the construction process, even if the new buildings are 30% more efficient than average.”
These modifications also help to maintain biodiversity. Demolishing a building and starting fresh often involves removing plants and natural habitats, which can disrupt local wildlife. Retaining and improving the existing structure can help reduce the negative environmental impact, contributing to the preservation or enhancement of biodiversity.
To deliver retrofit buildings that are energy efficient, design forward and durable, more and more architects and designers are specifying Kingspan insulated metal panels as the building envelope solution of choice for their downtown revitalization retrofit projects.
The benefits of retrofitting with insulated metal panels
Some of the many benefits of Kingspan insulated metal panels for retrofit projects include:
Reducing embodied carbon
Kingspan's latest Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) show that QuadCore® panels manufactured at its DeLand, Florida, and Caledon, Ontario, facilities have the lowest global warming potential (GWP) among insulated metal panel manufacturers in North America.
Thermal and energy efficiency
Kingspan’s insulated metal panels deliver the thermal efficiency that office buildings in need of retrofitting lack. These metal panels can feature thermal resistance ratings of up to R-8 per inch, helping to reduce a building’s carbon emissions while increasing energy efficiency. Energy efficiency reduces operational carbon by decreasing energy consumption of the building.
Design flexibility
The design options offered by Kingspan’s portfolio of insulated metal panels provide the design flexibility needed to aesthetically align with other buildings and features of downtown revitalization projects. These panels come in a wide range of both standard and custom colors, a variety of textures and finishes, and an extensive selection of innovative panel profiles. They can also be arranged both vertically and/or horizontally to help create visually striking structures.
Durability
The durability of insulated metal panels also makes them strong choices for retrofit projects. These panels are designed to last for decades with minimal upkeep. With proper installation, they remain both air and weather tight and provide consistent high thermal performance over the life of the building.
Reduced construction complexity
Prefabricated and brought to the construction site, Kingspan insulated metal panels are an all-in-one system that help reduce the number of trades on the construction site to speed up the construction process. Those features help reduce the complexity of retrofit projects and are particularly beneficial in space-constrained areas that make it difficult to accommodate materials, machinery, and construction crews.
Bringing buildings back to life with insulated metal panels
A survey by BCG found that many office buildings are “at risk of becoming ‘zombies’—with low utilization, high vacancy levels, and financial viability quickly slipping away.”
Downtown revitalization projects that include retrofitting office buildings are bringing these buildings back to life. Kingspan insulated metal panels are playing a role in rejuvenating these buildings, helping to improve the efficiency, aesthetics, and durability of office retrofit projects.
