Salvo was invited to The British Embassy in Paris for a showcase of UK architecture. The event featured around 20 architectural and engineering companies with projects delivered at home and around the world, which the exhibition and talks explored. 

Talk topics covered gaps and opportunities in the supply chain of green buildings, designing infrastructure to support sustainable cities and how heritage buildings can shape tomorrow's culture. 

Photos courtesy of The Department of Business and Trade France

Discussions naturally highlighted solutions to decarbonise the built environment, with examples of innovation through retrofits, reuse, and building with timber, which sequesters carbon by photosynthesis during growth (biogenic carbon) and is stored as long as the products remain in the buildings or are reclaimed for reuse.

Particularly relevant to my own heart, were the talks that touched on social sustainability, an aspect of Salvo's Truly Reclaimed® standard that I am passionate about. Our plans and purchasing decisions feel especially pressured by the challenging economic and environmental climate. Still, we must build, retrofit and maintain buildings to stand the test of time for the well-being of society.

Healthy architecture encompasses many things. Concerning reuse and reclamation, the social benefits include preserving the heritage of building materials unique to a place or community and the humanity embodied in salvage, given the stories they hold or the human skills involved in dismantling, cleaning and preparing materials for reuse. 

Connection is key for longevity, and reclamation can help promote more connection with buildings. The well-being of our built environment and social sustainability will be an increasingly important priority for our future.