Our approach is grounded in understanding, evidence, and delivery.
Retrofit is about improving existing buildings so they perform better for people and for the environment, making better use of what already exists.
We develop a detailed view of the existing building using digital twins, combining data on the building envelope (fabric), building physics, and current energy performance to establish a clear baseline.
From this, we test design options using energy modelling to understand how interventions affect performance before work begins on site. This supports informed decision-making and reduces risk.
We take a whole building view, considering building envelope improvements, ventilation, systems, and spatial use together to ensure balanced and effective solutions.
Working across individual projects and large portfolios, we apply a consistent, evidence-based approach that supports phased delivery and long-term programme planning. The result is retrofit strategies that improve performance in use, support net zero ambitions, and deliver better outcomes over time.
What is Retrofit
Retrofit is about improving existing buildings so they perform better for the people who use them and the environment they sit within. It is not a series of isolated upgrades. It is a coordinated, whole building approach that considers the building envelope (fabric), systems, energy performance, and long-term use holistically.
At its core, retrofit is about making better use of what already exists. Buildings carry significant value, both in the materials already invested in them and in their role as places where people live, work, and spend time. Improving them is an opportunity to create environments that are more comfortable, more efficient, and better aligned with how they are actually used.
Every building is different, even if they are identical on the outside. Effective retrofit starts with understanding that and responding to it with clarity from data rather than assumption.
The Challenge
Much of the UK’s existing building stock was not designed to meet current expectations around energy efficiency, decarbonisation, or long-term performance. As a result, many buildings are inefficient to operate, costly to maintain, and increasingly difficult to align with net zero targets.
Repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) works are often delivered in isolation, without fully understanding how changes to one part of a building affect another. This can lead to underperformance and unintended consequences, particularly in areas such as ventilation, moisture, and internal comfort.
There is also a challenge around information. Decisions are frequently based on incomplete or inconsistent data. Without a reliable understanding of how a building performs today, it is difficult to predict how it will respond to intervention. This increases risk in both cost and outcome.
The buildings we rely on today will continue to form the majority of our built environment for decades to come. Improving their energy performance and reducing carbon impact is essential.
Why Retrofit
The direction of travel is clear. The UK Government’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions is driving a fundamental shift in how buildings are designed, delivered, and operated.
The introduction of the Future Homes and Buildings Standard is raising expectations for energy performance, low carbon heating, and overall building efficiency. New buildings are being designed to meet these standards.
Existing buildings are not.
This creates a significant and immediate challenge. Most buildings in use today were not designed for net zero and will require improvement if they are to meet future expectations.
For organisations managing large portfolios, retrofit is not just a design challenge. It requires a structured approach that balances performance, cost, delivery, and long-term asset management.
Improving existing buildings reduces energy demand, supports decarbonisation, and enables buildings to perform more efficiently over time.
For building users, the impact is immediate. Better performing buildings provide more consistent internal conditions and support healthier, more comfortable environments.
For housing providers, local authorities, developers, and investors, this translates into improved asset performance, reduced operational pressure, and more resilient portfolios.
There is also a growing emphasis on performance in use. It is no longer enough for buildings to meet design targets. They must perform as expected. Retrofit is central to achieving that.
Our Approach
Our approach is grounded in understanding, evidence, and delivery.
We start by developing a detailed understanding of the existing building. Using a digital twin approach, each building is scanned and modelled to capture the building envelope (fabric), building physics, and current energy performance. This creates a reliable baseline that reflects how the building performs today.
From this foundation, we use energy modelling software to evaluate design options in real time. This allows us to test different interventions and demonstrate how they will affect energy performance and potential carbon reduction before work begins on site. It provides clarity and supports informed decision making.
We take a whole building view throughout. Building envelope improvements, ventilation strategies, heating systems, and spatial use are considered together, ensuring that solutions are balanced and effective.
Our work spans social and private housing, apartment blocks and high rise, offices, hotels, and universities. We work across individual projects and large-scale portfolios, applying a consistent, evidence-based approach that supports phased delivery and long term programme planning.
This breadth allows us to adapt our approach to different building types while maintaining a consistent level of rigour.
Alongside performance, we consider long term maintenance, occupant outcomes, spatial functionality, and aesthetic sensitivity. Solutions are developed to be practical, deliverable, and appropriate to the building and its context.
Our Building Information Modelling (BIM) approach provides digital asset models to support the ongoing management of retrofitted buildings, enabling continued performance monitoring and improvement.
Our team includes trained Energy and Retrofit Assessors (Elmhurst) and Retrofit Coordinators (The Retrofit Academy). We are also part of the first consortium to achieve ISO compliance for PAS 2038 retrofit of commercial buildings, supporting a consistent and standards aligned approach.
Throughout, we place people at the heart of sustainable design. Performance is measured not just in energy terms, but in how buildings function in everyday use.
Outcomes
Each project delivers a clear and evidence-based understanding of the existing building through digital models that inform design and delivery. These models continue to support the building beyond completion. This supports consistent delivery across portfolios, reducing risk and improving confidence in long term outcomes.
We provide evidence based retrofit strategies, supported by energy modelling and performance analysis. This allows clients to understand the impact of different options on energy performance, potential carbon reduction, and long-term operation before committing to implementation.
We also provide a clear view of performance. Lifecycle cost, maintenance requirements, and operational outcomes are considered alongside energy performance, supporting informed decision making.
Our retrofit approach is grounded in data, informed by experience, and focused on delivering buildings that perform better over time, supporting net zero ambitions and long term decarbonisation, with people at the heart of it all.
Selected retrofit projects
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Talk to us about retrofit
If you would like to find out more about our retrofit work, please get in touch.