Book review

This handbook is a product of the EU-funded Revival project, which sets out to demonstrate practically the main principles of the refurbishment of large non-domestic buildings through five case studies. It is a good introductory text, appropriate for younger professionals and also for their more experienced colleagues who may be contemplating undertaking sustainable refurbishment for the first time. The case studies were very good and the section on prioritising refurbishment options, in which the law of diminishing returns operates, was particularly useful. The illustrations were clear and informative and there are some useful tables and graphs for reference. The appendices have a wealth of useful information but suffer from being presented in a compressed format. It would have been helpful to draw out the lessons learned from the case studies into a summary of generic guiding principles. It would also have been useful to incorporate more about the value that a good refurbishment can deliver beyond operational economies, in areas such as brand value, productivity, stakeholder value, legislative compliance and tenant retention. Our overall impression was positive and it provides a very useful introduction to the subject.