Retrofit 23: The Building Centre explore retrofitting at scale

The Retrofit 23 exhibition has launched at the Building Centre in London.

On display until 29 September 2023, looks at how the UK can achieve residential retrofitting at scale in the UK.

The exhibition also focuses on how improving the performance of a home brings economic, social, and environmental benefits.

The need to retrofit existing buildings is currently one of the biggest challenges in the built environment and will be for the foreseeable future if the government’s target of net zero by 2050 is to be met.

Existing UK building stock is inefficient and efforts to refurbish buildings and cut carbon emissions are moving slowly – with fewer than 1% of buildings in major economies being given energy efficiency retrofit upgrades each year.

Improving the energy performance of a home goes far beyond the sustainability benefits. The economic benefits of job creation and the social impact of improving living standards are huge.

It is estimated that £1bn is spent by the NHS each year treating people living in unhealthy housing.

However, successful retrofitting will only be achieved through aligning governance, economic, social, financial, and technical systems.

“Around the world, governments are proactively promoting the importance of retrofit to the built environment. This global drive is a sign that the time has never been so important for the UK to do the same,” said Colin Tweedy, chief executive officer at the Building Centre.

The Retrofit 23 exhibition and events programme – which will see the Building Centre host weekly talks from now until September – will explore the factors necessary to achieve an accelerated delivery of domestic retrofitting at different scales, engaging the industry, national and local government and the general public.