Whole House Retrofit

Anderson Bell Christie collaborated with the City of Edinburgh Council to implement advanced retrofit standards for 10 pilot typologies selected from a portfolio of 20,000 properties. This project aimed to evaluate various performance benchmarks and assess the capacity of Scotland's construction sector for wider-scale adoption. Our involvement spanned RIBA Stages 0 to 7 under the CoEC Framework, where we acted as lead designers, pre-contract project managers, and applied our PAS 2035 training. Our quality management system, aligned with PAS 2035 standards, ensured rigorous oversight and compliance throughout the project's lifecycle.
We managed multidisciplinary design teams, stakeholder consultations, and building warrant submissions, and led design efforts for a traditional contract. Using a typology-based approach, we analysed a variety of property types, including traditional and non-traditional constructions such as Orlit and BISF houses, as well as low- and mid-rise housing stock. This informed fabric upgrades focusing on walls, floors, air tightness, and services installations. Energy modeling with SAP methodology shaped retrofit strategies aligned with planning requirements and performance standards, including EESSH2, EnerPHit, and hybrid approaches. Following a comprehensive appraisal, EESSH2 was adopted as the preferred standard.
A detailed review of 52 properties involved asbestos and intrusive surveys, air tightness testing, and repeated energy modeling. Ten homes were ultimately selected for bespoke retrofit strategies. BIM (Revit) was employed for design coordination, supported by robust document control through Deltek and ISO 9001:2015 quality management protocols, underpinned by our PAS 2035-aligned framework. Construction was completed successfully with tenants in-situ, achieving EPC B ratings through a fabric-first approach, with effective change management ensuring smooth collaboration among stakeholders.
The homes are now being monitored to evaluate energy use, occupant comfort, and overall performance. Data collected will support the council in assessing the feasibility of scaling these retrofit strategies across their housing portfolio, providing valuable insights into sustainable, net-zero carbon housing solutions.