Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced plans for a new dedicated national centre to champion the retrofit of traditional buildings to improve energy efficiency and play a key role in achieving national net zero targets.
HES has welcomed £1m of funding from UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council to establish the new hub, which will put heritage science and research at the heart of its approach to developing best practice for the retrofit of traditional buildings. As well as expanding HES’s technical research capabilities, the centre will focus on delivery of much-needed training and foster innovation in the use of low-carbon retrofit materials.
The Retrofit lab will support the development of bespoke solutions required for the decarbonisation of the historic environment, a crucial component of the transition to net zero. The retrofit interventions required to improve energy efficiency in modern buildings are often inappropriate for these traditional buildings, which require specific considerations around heat, moisture and airflow, as well as special care to ensure their cultural significance is maintained in the adaptation process.
The announcement of the new national centre for traditional building retrofit comes as a recent survey by HES revealed strong support for retrofitting traditional buildings.
For more information please visit the Historic Environment Scotland’s website
