Make no assumptions

Baker, Charlie; Smith, Luke; Swan, Will

Abstract

The selection of the correct options to upgrade a building to improve its energy performance is an essential part of the sustainable retrofit process. It requires a complex mix of skills to identify and deliver the most effective combination of measures; building surveying, energy assessment, an appreciation of the current supply chain options and architectural skills are all needed to provide a holistic understanding of the solutions available. Given the scale of the retrofit challenge and the level of skills required, the development of effective options for appraisal tools is essential. Here we discuss two related approaches developed in tandem: one by Urbed, an architecture, urban design and sustainability practice in Manchester, and another by Fusion21, a social enterprise offering procurement services to the social housing sector. While both approaches work at different scales, from single house to whole stock level, they each rely on detailed information about the properties as well as understanding a wide range of factors with regards to any potential upgrade including energy performance, buildability and long-term use issues. These models move away from the assumption of heavy archetypes and broad categories of improvements to understanding specific elements and developing a detailed understanding of the specific product families that might be applied to deliver long-term energy savings.

Citation

Baker, C., Smith, L., & Swan, W. (2013). Make no assumptions. In W. Swan, & P. Brown (Eds.), Retrofitting the Built Environment. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118273463.ch8

• Online Publication Date: Aug 16, 2013
• Publication Date: Aug 16, 2013
• Deposit Date: Aug 1, 2023
• Publisher: Wiley
• Book Title: Retrofitting the Built Environment
• ISBN: 9781118273500
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118273463.ch8