Independent commercial case-study note

No.1 Poultry: structuring commercial retrofit innovation

A source-led case note on how a structured innovation map was applied to the refurbishment of the Grade II* listed No.1 Poultry building in London.

UK Green Building CouncilCity of LondonReviewed 31 August 2026
Evidence status

Independent UKGBC case study. This is not a Mayfair Property Services LDN project and Mayfair does not claim the project outcomes.

Open the original source ↗

UKGBC describes a live-project demonstrator in which a commercial-retrofit innovation taxonomy was used to organise and compare interventions across building systems.

How to use this evidence

Read the project for decisions, not promises.

A case study is most useful when its property, client, baseline, intervention and measurement boundary are understood.

No.1 Poultry: structuring commercial retrofit innovation is included because it exposes a useful property decision and identifies a published source that customers and project teams can inspect directly. It is not a template specification. Another building may differ in construction, condition, occupancy, access, statutory constraints, procurement route, energy use, budget and the evidence available before work begins.

The reported approach should therefore be translated into questions for the actual property. Confirm which elements were surveyed, retained, repaired or replaced; whether outcomes were measured, modelled or targeted; who controlled the project; and what period, sample or operational conditions sit behind any figure. Where the source does not provide an answer, that absence belongs in the decision record rather than being filled with an assumption.

Mayfair connects the evidence note to the Property Universe so the reader can move from inspiration to the relevant service, product, assessment, responsibility and delivery routes. Property AI can keep the source, property type and customer objective together while asking the next question that materially changes the recommendation.

Approach

What the source describes.

  1. 1

    Organise a fragmented intervention landscape into domains, systems, clusters and nodes.

  2. 2

    Use the live building and project constraints to review options rather than relying on a generic list.

  3. 3

    Document a repeatable step-by-step review and selection process for project teams.

Reported evidence

Outcomes and limits.

  • A practical demonstrator of the Commercial Retrofit Innovation Map on a live listed-building refurbishment.
  • A clearer route for project teams to identify and compare potential interventions across building systems.
  • A published process that can inform future commercial retrofit reviews.

Transferable learning

What another property team can take from it.

These lessons help shape questions. They do not guarantee the same outcome in another building.

  • Taxonomy is useful when it supports decisions, not when it merely creates page volume.
  • Listed and complex buildings need building-specific filters before innovation is selected.
  • A wide option set should still narrow to evidence, responsibility, compatibility and delivery.

Questions for another property

What must be established before applying the idea?

  • What is the building type, age, construction and current condition?
  • Which problem or outcome is being prioritised, and how is the baseline recorded?
  • Who owns, occupies, manages, funds and approves the affected property or system?
  • Which surveys, records, permissions and competent specialists are required?
  • Can the property remain occupied or operational while investigation and work proceed?
  • How will cost, disruption, safety, embodied impact and whole-life performance be compared?

Evidence limits

What this case note does not establish.

  • It does not prove that the same intervention is suitable for another property.
  • It does not turn a reported target or model into guaranteed measured performance.
  • It does not replace inspection, design, permissions, procurement or professional responsibility.
  • It does not establish current supplier availability, programme, price or serviceability.
  • It does not attribute the project to Mayfair or imply endorsement by the original publisher.
  • It does not remove the need to read the complete source and its stated limitations.

Apply the learning carefully

A five-stage evidence-to-property route.

Keep the original case, the actual property and the proposed delivery scope separate until the evidence supports a connection.

  1. 1

    Define the customer outcome, property, occupiers and the operational or personal constraint that matters most.

  2. 2

    Read the original source and record which facts are reported, measured, modelled, targeted or left unstated.

  3. 3

    Survey the actual property and compare construction, condition, systems, access, responsibility and permissions.

  4. 4

    Develop realistic options with scope, exclusions, cost factors, disruption, risks and a way to verify completion or performance.

  5. 5

    Confirm the appropriate Mayfair, supplier or qualified-professional route before any commitment is made.

Connected Property Universe routes

Turn the learning into the right next question.

Open a related route to check scope, property fit, cost factors, responsibility and evidence for the actual requirement.

familyEnergy and sustainabilityEnergy, water, carbon, retrofit, renewables, billing and resilience journeys. Explore the main energy and sustainability categories, exact needs and connected property routes for commercial owners, occupiers, property teams and operators.categoryEnergy improvementEnergy improvement brings together the main energy and sustainability decisions for commercial owners, occupiers, property teams and operators. Compare relevant disciplines, property situations, scope factors and the specific routes available before making an enquiry.subcategoryLighting and controlsExplore lighting and controls within energy improvement. This page explains common requirements, important property and access considerations, cost drivers, suitable alternatives and the exact services or goods available.categoryHeating and hot waterHeating and hot water brings together the main energy and sustainability decisions for commercial owners, occupiers, property teams and operators. Compare relevant disciplines, property situations, scope factors and the specific routes available before making an enquiry.

Connected planning articles

Go deeper into scope, cost and comparison.

These articles turn the broad lessons into customer-facing planning questions linked to the same property domain.

planning guideEnergy and sustainability: what to check before you startA practical UK property guide to the information, responsibilities, access, compatibility and professional checks that matter before energy and sustainability proceeds.cost guideEnergy and sustainability costs: the factors that change the scopeUnderstand the property, specification, access, timing and delivery variables that shape the cost of energy and sustainability before asking for tailored guidance.comparison guideEnergy and sustainability: compare the main property routesCompare the most useful service, supply, repair, replacement and professional routes connected to energy and sustainability without starting from a trade name.planning guideEnergy improvement: what to check before you startA practical UK property guide to the information, responsibilities, access, compatibility and professional checks that matter before energy improvement proceeds.cost guideEnergy improvement costs: the factors that change the scopeUnderstand the property, specification, access, timing and delivery variables that shape the cost of energy improvement before asking for tailored guidance.comparison guideEnergy improvement: compare the main property routesCompare the most useful service, supply, repair, replacement and professional routes connected to energy improvement without starting from a trade name.

Primary source

Read the evidence in context.

Mayfair’s note is a summary. The publisher’s page or report remains the authoritative source for the project claims.

UK Green Building CouncilInnovation in Commercial Retrofit: A Live Project DemonstratorOriginal publication · 2026

More evidence notes

Compare another project.

commercial · Paddington, London3 Sheldon Square: retrofit through reuse and performanceA source-led case note on retaining key building elements during a major office retrofit while targeting stronger environmental and occupier performance.residential · Queen’s Park, WestminsterQueen’s Park: a whole-home retrofit in a Victorian flatA source-led case note on a one-bedroom Victorian terraced flat used to pilot a coordinated whole-home energy retrofit.residential · Dartford, KentDartford: evaluating retrofit in hard-to-treat homesA government-published evaluation of retrofit work in four highly insulated, hard-to-treat semi-detached houses.