Concrete Futures: Finding Community-Led Solutions for Modernist Buildings at Risk

In towns and cities across the UK, you can recognise a familiar scene. Public spaces and historic high streets are being reimagined and reinvigorated under the umbrella of ‘heritage-led regeneration’, delivering social, economic, and environmental benefits for people and places. At the same time, historic buildings from the mid-twentieth century are being left vacant, unloved, and at worst demolished – despite them being heritage assets themselves, rich in history and future potential.

Modernist buildings are increasingly at risk in the UK, often seen as unviable and unimportant, sometimes ugly, and unlikely to be missed. But research shows that modernist buildings – homes, places of worship, civic centres, swimming pools, and so on - are just as important as their Victorian, Medieval, or other “historic” counterparts. They tell the story of mid-century Britain, of changing ideas around housing, welfare, education, and public life, and of ambitious attempts to build fairer, healthier communities through architecture and planning. They are the historic landscapes that form the backdrop of living memory and people’s everyday lives, and bedrock of people’s sense of place and local identity.

It’s fair to say that modernist architecture often sits in a difficult position within the heritage landscape. It is frequently overlooked because it does not fit traditional ideas of “historic” value, and as a result, buildings that were once central to community life are now being demolished or left to deteriorate without clear pathways for reuse. Conversations about saving modernist buildings “at risk” tend to be aimed at developers and local authorities and are often focused on high-profile cases of mid-century icons. Meanwhile, at the same time, community-led action is driving forward the reuse of buildings from earlier periods to deliver a multitude of public benefits.

The rising urgency of the climate crisis and the environmental cost of demolition is shifting attitudes towards existing buildings. There is growing recognition that reuse, rather than replacement, is essential in reducing carbon emissions and developing places more sustainably. Within this context, modernist buildings represent a significant and underutilised opportunity – not only as cultural assets, but as environmentally and socially valuable infrastructure already embedded in communities.

Across the board, we know that building reuse creates positive change for people and places. Repurposing Victorian warehouses as co-working spaces, transforming former places of worship into cultural venues, or bringing disused civic buildings back into everyday use can generate significant social and economic value. Research on heritage-led regeneration, for example, has shown how spending time among historic buildings improves wellbeing, strengthens civic pride, and attracts further investment into an area. For instance, one of our Heritage Network members, Sefton Park Palm House (external link) (opens in new tab), contributed £6.2m to the local economy and created £26m of social impact between 2021 and 2024 through their programme of community events, volunteering, education, and tourism. Another member, Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust (external link) (opens in new tab), deliver a staggeringly wide-ranging programme of wellbeing initiatives with key partners, while Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust (external link) (opens in new tab) are repurposing the 18th century Keelmen’s Hospital in Newcastle as much-needed affordable housing. Communities could, should, and increasingly are reusing modernist buildings to deliver the same kinds of outcomes.

That’s not to say that modernist buildings in the UK don’t face the same challenges of reuse as other types of heritage site (they do) but they are also uniquely well placed to be repurposed for community benefit. Modernist developments were often built with community principles at their heart, designing in better ways of living from the start. Libraries, community centres, housing estates, and civic buildings were designed to encourage collective life and public access. In other words, they were created precisely to deliver the kinds of public benefits that reusing historic buildings aims to achieve today.

In October, the Heritage Network will host a day of talks, tours, workshopsand networking focused on community-led solutions for modernist buildings at risk. (external link) (opens in new tab) We’re bringing together architects, activists, heritage specialists, and community leaders who are reshaping the narrative of modernism towards positive reuse and improved pride in place. Together, we’ll examine the challenges of reuse, the power of collective action, and the potential of modernist architecture to support more inclusive, sustainable futures for communities today.

Modernist buildings continue to be lost across the UK. But community organisations are beginning to challenge that narrative – taking on neglected modernist sites and finding new futures for them through culture, enterprise, and social action. The question is not whether modernist buildings are worth saving. It is how communities, heritage organisations and public bodies can work together to make that happen.

So join us at Concrete Futures for Modernist Buildings (external link) (opens in new tab)
MK Gallery, Milton Keynes
15th October 2026