Around the world, modernist architecture is approaching a period of intense vulnerability. With materials, technologies and lifestyles changing dramatically since these precious buildings were built, there is a great tendency to demolish and replace them with buildings that more easily meet modern standards.

Nowhere is this change more apparent than in terms of thermal performance and nowhere is more aware of the urgency to update these buildings than Australia. After years of record-breaking bushfires and flooding, Australians are looking to their homes to provide more comfort, protection and refuge than ever before.

As a specialist in climate responsive housing with a deep passion for midcentury modern architecture, Shannon Battisson has developed a strong desire to help clients and the wider public navigate the changes needed for thermal performance and comfort, in a manner that celebrates both a modern way of living and the soul of a modernist architectural gem. Based in Canberra, a city that grew out of a competition winning design by Walter and Marion Mahony Griffin, that has been described by some as the Palm Springs of Australia, Shannon has built a practice around helping to rescue modernist architecture under threat of demolition, giving it increased performance and a whole new life.

Through case studies, we will unpack the essential elements to improving thermal performance, reducing air exchange, and modernizing modes of living whilst staying true to an architectural language that changed how many looked at the built environment around them.

Preserving modernist architecture within a climate conscious world will help both architects and the wider community embrace the massive impact that can be had by saving buildings from demolition and instead allowing them to be experienced and enjoyed by generations to come.