Carnegie Libraries of Britain: Assets or Liabilities? Managing Altering Agendas of Energy Efficiency for Early 20th Century Heritage

Abstract

After over a century of service, many Carnegie library buildings in Britain are at risk, often condemned for presumed poor energy performance with heritage protection perceived as a further burden to negotiate. Although most now have heritage status, saving them from demolition, demands to meet changing agendas for efficiency mean that increasingly these buildings are being sold and re-used. A more nuanced reading of measures of performance is necessary. By interrogating operational data in context and establishing indicators for life-cycle analysis, this paper aims to offer generalizable steps to justify their continued service in promoting wellbeing.