Despite decades of investment and innovation, sustainable refurbishment continues to fall short of its full potential.
Too often, retrofit strategies are implemented in silos – disconnected across sectors, regions, and even individual buildings. We’ve seen the same critical mistakes repeated: homes made airtight without adequate ventilation, single-measure retrofits delivered at scale with limited long-term benefit, and one-size-fits-all approaches applied to buildings with vastly different contexts and needs.
But these aren’t just technical oversights. They represent missed opportunities – to cut carbon emissions, to improve health and wellbeing, and to strengthen communities through better housing.
The Consequences of Working in Isolation
We’ve witnessed the impact of this disconnect firsthand. Across the UK and beyond, retrofit projects stumble when architects, contractors, planners, and funders aren’t aligned. Valuable insights are developed in one location – then forgotten elsewhere.
When lessons aren’t shared, the same wheels are reinvented – costing us time, money, and momentum. The result? Slower progress, higher risk, and reduced impact at a time when scale and urgency have never mattered more.
Find an example from Fishwick, Preston written by Kate de Selincourt here.
Global Thinking for Whole-House Retrofit Strategy
It’s easy to point fingers, but the reality is: no single organisation, profession, or country holds all the answers. That’s why we must embrace global retrofit collaboration – not to chase distant ideals, but to inform better local decisions grounded in international evidence and shared wisdom.
As we scale whole-house retrofit, we must keep asking:
- What’s working in other parts of the world – and why?
- How can we embed a culture of cross-industry collaboration and continuous learning?
- What’s preventing long-term, scalable retrofit strategies from being realised?
Connecting the Dots Through Knowledge Sharing
At The Retrofit Academy, we’re committed to closing the knowledge gap. Whether through our industry-leading retrofit training programmes, practical resources, or deep partnerships across the supply chain, we aim to ensure that retrofit professionals are informed, equipped, and empowered.
Because achieving net zero demands more than isolated innovation.
Successful retrofit isn’t just a technical exercise – it’s a collective mission.
Want to be part of the solution?
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