Associate feature: The greenest building is the one that already exists
Ask any visitor to Scotland what it was that drew them here, and the extraordinary history of our country is almost certain to be one of the first things they say.
Our historic environment is Scotland’s story. It belongs to all of us, it is part of our daily lives as we walk down our local high street, and it shapes our identity. But crucially, it does not just have a role to play in our past and our present, but in our future too.
Nowhere is this role more urgent than in tackling climate change, one of the most pressing issues facing politicians here and across the world. We know we need to adapt our lives to ensure that we do not make global warming any worse than it already is.
The Scottish Government is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2045, and it is clear that reaching this milestone will require an acceleration of efforts across all sectors of society. At Historic Environment Scotland (HES), we know we have a major part to play.
We are at the forefront of investigating and researching the impacts of climate change on our built heritage, as well as developing the knowledge, skills and materials Scotland needs to look after it for future generations. We can also use this expertise to improve the nation’s existing buildings, making them as warm and efficient as possible.
We believe that our historic environment is an under-tapped and overlooked resource to attaining net zero. Quite simply, older buildings are too often wrongly seen as a draughty hindrance to cutting emissions.
The reality is that retrofitting and reusing our historic environment presents a huge opportunity for Scotland to lead the way in reaching net zero, at the same time as boosting our economy and equipping our workforce with new skills.
Traditional buildings – those built before 1919 – make up almost a fifth (18 per cent) of Scotland’s housing stock. These buildings are not just people’s homes, they are our schools, workplaces and public spaces and they collectively tell our national story.
Maintaining and adapting this built environment is not just important from a conservation point of view, it also ensures that the carbon already locked away within the walls stays there for good.
Some might argue that the best course of action is to demolish such buildings and start again, but razing them to the ground and replacing them with new builds would carry an environmental cost compared to retaining and reusing what we already have.
Recent research commissioned by HES shows that a clear majority of people in Scotland are supportive of retrofitting when it comes to managing our traditional buildings. In a survey of more than 1,400 adults in Scotland carried out in September, more than two thirds (67 per cent) said investing in retrofitting was the best way forward.
This is one of the reasons why we are in the process of creating a new national centre of expertise for retrofitting traditional buildings, which we hope will help improve energy efficiency across Scotland and play an important role in helping us reach net zero.
The Retrofit Lab, which will integrate with the Engine Shed, our national building conservation centre in Stirling, will put heritage science and research at the heart of its approach to developing best practice for the retrofit of traditional buildings.
As well as expanding HES’s technical research capabilities, the centre will focus on the delivery of much-needed training and foster innovation in the use of low-carbon retrofit materials, as well as developing bespoke solutions for traditional buildings.
Expertise in this area is needed, because the type of retrofitting required to improve energy efficiency in modern buildings is often inappropriate for traditional buildings, which require specific considerations around heat, moisture and ventilation, as well as special care to ensure their cultural significance is maintained in the retrofit process.
The lab is being launched with the help of £1 million of funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.
The project will be heavily collaborative, with HES working alongside academic and commercial partners, as well as local authorities and third sector organisations, to build best practice and develop the technical skills that the retrofitting of traditional buildings requires.
In the ongoing debate around net zero and housing, traditional buildings are often portrayed as the poorly-insulated villains, but these buildings were constructed of long-lasting durable materials, with our climate in mind, and are inherently adaptable.
Giving a new lease of life to older buildings also benefits us in other ways, retaining the distinct character of our towns, cities, villages and rural areas, giving communities a strong sense of local identity, and attracting jobs and tourism, to name but a few.
Research we published at the end of August underscored how critical this is. The Scotland’s Historic Environment Audit (SHEA) report found that built heritage generates £6 billion per year for our economy, £2.1 billion of which is attributable to heritage tourism, as well as supporting more than 81,000 jobs.
There are also huge potential economic benefits and new employment opportunities to be realised through ensuring our existing building stock is in a good state of repair, and that retrofit measures are technically sound and effective.
After all, we have more than 4,000 years of traditional building experience in Scotland – so why not make our heritage and traditions an integral part of our future success?
Part of this is through embracing traditional materials, as the production of indigenous materials such as stone and slate can ensure money stays in communities, supporting local jobs and supply chains in the process.
It is also about skills and training. In 2022, we began delivering a new qualification to teach the next generation of building professionals and retrofit installers about the most appropriate energy efficiency measures for older and traditional buildings and how to install them.
The course directly supports organisations providing advice on insulation and efficient heating to households struggling with the cost of high energy bills, an issue which has come to the fore in recent years.
The qualification is also helping to ensure the wider construction industry is equipped with the skills required for the retrofit of Scotland’s traditional built environment, which will play a key role in reducing carbon emissions and achieving our climate goals.
There is, of course, much work to be done in this area. The Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Bill, which is due to be brought forward during the current parliamentary year, is set to propose the introduction of a set of minimum energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes by 2028, and for all homes by the end of 2033.
Our SHEA report showed that owners spend £1.3 billion each year on repairing and maintaining Scotland’s pre-1919 housing stock, and that it will cost an estimated additional £6.6 billion to convert these residential buildings to low-carbon heating over the coming years.
To inform MSPs about our work in this area and our plans for the future, HES is holding a drop-in event at Holyrood on 7 November at 1pm, entitled “The greenest building is the one that already exists”. It will highlight our latest research and how we are helping to shape the Scotland of tomorrow – not just conserving the Scotland of the past.
This article is sponsored by Historic Environment Scotland.
www.historicenvironment.scot
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