Director, Chris Kallan, features on the Building Voices podcast for London Festival of Architecture.

The UK is in the grip of a reuse revolution. Faced with the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions, construction waste, and the environmental toll of constant development, the built environment is being asked to do less building and more thinking. Across planning policy, architectural discourse, and commercial development, the call is increasingly to "make do and mend."

Slogans like "The greenest building is the one that already exists" and "Retrofit first" now dominate the conversation, echoing through design guides, local plans, and funding criteria. Reuse is no longer a niche ambition; it is fast becoming the mainstream response to the climate emergency. Retaining, adapting, and reimagining existing structures is presented not only as technically sensible, but morally and culturally necessary. From housing to high streets, the message is clear: our future lies in working with what we already have. But in the clarity of this movement, is there space for doubt or for dialogue?

What if we could hear from the buildings we are so keen to reuse? What if, before reworking their walls or reinventing their purpose, we listened to their stories? Each building holds a history of intention, invention, occupation, and adaptation. If they could speak, what would they tell us? What have they endured, and what do they still hope to be?

In this series of podcasts and video snippets, we tune in to those voices. Sometimes they are weary, sometimes proud, sometimes baffled by the times they find themselves in. We hear from a cast of buildings that might include Victorian terraces, 1930s semis, 1960s towers, 19th-century warehouses, mid-century offices, 1990s business parks, and suburban new builds as they reflect on their pasts, present realities, and uncertain futures.

By hearing their voices, we hope to better understand the case for reuse, to be more honest in its deployment, and to uncover some of the rich human stories embedded within the fabric of our surroundings.