Sustainable Traditional Building Alliance’s Post

Listed buildings may be harder to retrofit, but it is possible, and can help to ensure they’re fully used so that more people can enjoy them. ECD carried out a retrofit feasibility study for the Category B listed Perth Road building, highlighting necessary maintenance works and some easy wins in a light retrofit strategy. Two deeper retrofit strategies proposed more invasive works, balancing these with the building’s heritage features. Getting a full understanding of the building’s construction, its energy losses and its heritage significance were key to this, demonstrating how the building’s heating demand and its carbon emissions could be cut by around 75%. #listedbuilding #BListedBuilding #university #retrofit #carbonemissions #ECDArchitects #UniversityofDundee #RetrofitFeasibilityStudy #RetrofitStrategy

In May we hosted a masterclass, 'Improving Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings' at the Irish Georgian Society City Assembly House in Dublin. The masterclass aligned with the recently published Irish Government Guidance Document on the topic, and the speakers included leading experts in energy conservation, heritage, and architecture. In our video, key speakers and attendees share invaluable tips on retrofitting #traditionalbuildings. Their insights focus on achieving energy efficiency upgrades while maintaining the architectural integrity and character of historic structures. In the process of upgrading #historicbuildings, we also allow for vacant properties to be repurposed and occupied once again. There are grants available to support these types of projects: 🟢 Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant: Up to €50,000 for converting a vacant property into a home or rental. 🟢 Derelict Property Top-up Grant: Additional €20,000 for properties that are structurally unsound, bringing the total grant to €70,000. 🟢 Traditional Farm Buildings Grant: ranging from €4000 to €30,000 covering up to 75% of the conservation work. Applications for 2024 closed on March 27th 2024. 🟢 Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS): Up to €50,000 for custodians and owners of protected structures. 🟢 You can also contact the SEAI to find out what other grants are available. With the insights shared in our video and the use of suitable materials for protecting the integrity of such buildings, we can reduce the building's energy use and be a step closer to meeting our climate targets. https://loom.ly/jCe2wms 👉 'Improving Energy Efficiency in Traditional Buildings' guidance document: https://loom.ly/XxIDmIs 👉 'Caring for our Vernacular Heritage' guidance document: https://loom.ly/qHPv67s 👉 'A Living Tradition' guidance document: https://loom.ly/LqHHYLo 👉 'Built Heritage Investment Scheme' guidance document: https://loom.ly/kiA76Kg #EnergyEfficiency #Retrofit #SustainableBuilding #IrishArchitecture #HeritageBuildings

The carbon benefits of a refurbished modular building 🌍 A refurbished modular building produces a remarkable 46% less carbon emissions when compared with a newly built modular building. These findings were found by a recent academic study we conducted, comparing the embodied carbon emissions of a newly constructed modular building in comparison to a refurbished modular building. See our report to find out more 👇 https://ow.ly/gH5M50QHSMS #refurbishedmodular #refurbishedbuilding #carbonemissions

The carbon benefits of a refurbished modular building 🌍 A refurbished modular building produces a remarkable 46% less carbon emissions when compared with a newly built modular building. These findings were found by a recent academic study we conducted, comparing the embodied carbon emissions of a newly constructed modular building in comparison to a refurbished modular building. See our report to find out more 👇 https://ow.ly/gH5M50QHSMS #refurbishedmodular #refurbishedbuilding #carbonemissions

A 60,000-square-foot Toronto Police Station facility in Scarborough is slated for completion in 2026 and is poised to be the first #green government facility in #Ontario targeting #netzero emissions. Right in time for Version 5 of the Toronto Green Standard (TGS) to come into effect, a version with carbon mandates that any new building proposals from May 2025 onward must be #geothermal or fully electrical (to come into full effect May 2026). “Currently under construction, Division 41 is tracking to be TPS’s first building that will target Net Zero Carbon Emissions and one of the earliest municipal buildings achieving this goal in the City of Toronto,” says Terry Huang, an architect with WZMH Architects. #environment #greenbuildings #decarbonization #energyefficiency CAGBC | Canada Green Building Council Nicola Casciato Geosource Energy Inc. Emily Daynes Actual Media Inc. https://lnkd.in/gyCaq-uh

Mass Timber: The Future of Construction? We believe mass timber construction has huge potential. Developers are building larger and taller structures using this innovative material - thick, laminated layers of wood. Mass timber is inherently a low-carbon material, but as with any new construction method, we need to learn how to use it safely, efficiently, and sustainably. Hear from experts, including Andrew Lawrence, Arup Director and Fellow, as he joins the Financial Times Rethink channel to discuss groundbreaking mass timber projects and their implications for the future of greener urban development. Watch the full video here: https://bit.ly/4eVPUKG #Timber #Sustainability

🎤 Join the conversation, April 25th @ Noon with The Passive House Network! The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index is a nationally recognized metric for residential energy efficiency that’s integral to numerous government programs and financial incentives. Yet the HERS results of Passive House buildings leave practitioners scratching their heads, as powerful Passive House Performance levers sometimes barely budge the HERS needle. Find out why and how you and your Passive House team can be successful and co-exist with HERS going forward. Learning Objectives: --> Outline the primary components of HERS ratings and Passive House standards. --> Explain how the priorities of HERS and Passive House evaluation diverge. --> Describe how divergent priorities affect the resulting energy performance evaluations. --> Outline how Passive House teams can successfully co-exist with HERS. #efficiencyfirst #sustainability #climateaction #enerfyefficiency #cleanair #buildingbetter #design #architecture #construction #futurehomes #passivehouse #passivhaus

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) are an essential component in the arsenal of nature-based solutions, offering a seamless blend of functionality and #ecology. Here are some of the key benefits: ✔️ Flood Risk Reduction: SUDS mitigate the impact of heavy rainfall, reducing surface water runoff and the strain on our urban drainage systems. ✔️ Biodiversity Boost: By mimicking natural processes, SUDS create habitats for a wide range of flora and fauna, enriching local ecosystems. ✔️ Water Quality Improvement: Natural filtration processes within SUDS help remove pollutants, ensuring cleaner water cycles. ✔️ Community Wellbeing: Green spaces associated with SUDS promote recreational activities and improve mental health. Integrating SUDS into your projects isn't just about managing water; it's about creating spaces that work for people AND nature. Contact us via the links below, to discuss how #SwecoUK can help you integrate these systems into your next project. #SustainableDevelopment #SUDS #NatureBasedSolutions #GreenInfrastructure #UrbanResilience #WaterManagement #EcoInnovation #SustainableCities

Have you ever sought a good case-study example to evaluate the benefits of retrofitting historic buildings compared to demolition and new construction? A report is available that is worth reviewing. 📖 Published by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence, it provides evidence from the retrofit project of 107 Niddrie Road in Glasgow, a four-storey sandstone-fronted block of eight flats constructed in 1895. 👉 https://lnkd.in/d7sHVQ7J ✍ The report explains the methodology for analysing the costs and benefits of retrofitting this tenement block compared to the new build. Every scenario concludes that retrofitting was a better choice than new construction! 📣 “At Niddrie Road, we have achieved the best of both worlds: much reduced embodied carbon and much reduced operational energy into the future. How much depends on how occupants use their buildings, but it will be perfectly possible for them to remain comfortable on just somewhere between 5% and 20% of the typical pre-retrofit fuel bills”. What we like about this report is that it puts emphasis on relations with the residents, because “A highly efficient building is no good, if the occupants don’t know how to use it”. 🥇 Congratulations to the team responsible for this retrofit project, including Tim Sharpe from the University of Strathclyde - a partner in the FuturHist project.

🎤 Join the conversation, April 25th @ Noon with The Passive House Network! The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index is a nationally recognized metric for residential energy efficiency that’s integral to numerous government programs and financial incentives. Yet the HERS results of Passive House buildings leave practitioners scratching their heads, as powerful Passive House Performance levers sometimes barely budge the HERS needle. Find out why and how you and your Passive House team can be successful and co-exist with HERS going forward. Learning Objectives: --> Outline the primary components of HERS ratings and Passive House standards. --> Explain how the priorities of HERS and Passive House evaluation diverge. --> Describe how divergent priorities affect the resulting energy performance evaluations. --> Outline how Passive House teams can successfully co-exist with HERS. #efficiencyfirst #sustainability #climateaction #enerfyefficiency #cleanair #buildingbetter #design #architecture #construction #futurehomes #passivehouse #passivhaus