From dead space to strategic asset: The new life of empty buildings

Chair: Jess Harrold, legal & professional editor 

Speaker: Stuart Woolgar, CEO, Global Guardians

In an era of rising urban density and acute housing pressure, leaving buildings dormant is no longer just an oversight. It is an unnecessary direct cost. Across the UK, public and private sector property owners and agents hold significant volumes of empty offices and underutilised assets, often without a clear, viable route to bring them back into use.

This episode, recorded at UKREIIF, explores how empty buildings can be repositioned from liability to strategic asset through practical, immediate solutions. Instead of focusing only on long-term redevelopment alone, we examine how intelligent interim use, through approaches such as property guardianship, can reduce holding costs, improve security and activate buildings in real time. Stuart discusses what prevents assets from being used, where traditional models fall short and how a more agile, operational approach can unlock both commercial value and social impact. This brings buildings, and the communities around them, back to life.