Convening Communities
Sustainable Solutions for Community Buildings
Join us at this practical upskilling event to learn how to make your community building more sustainable. This event has been designed to inspire and empower community representatives, providing them with the knowledge and tools needed to start their building refurbishment journey.
Experts from Energy Saving Trust (EST) and Built Environment Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) will share guidance and advice to help you successfully improve and future-proof your community building.
You will learn about the basics of assessing your building and exploring different ways to make it more energy-efficient and sustainable. Through case studies and interactive workshops, you will gain practical insights and skills to help you move forward with your project.
The event will include:
Introduction theory and case studies
Q&A with experts from EST and BE-ST
Practical workshops on insulation and retrofit measures
Networking Lunch
Retrofitting That Works: How to Extend Building Life, Cut Waste, and Adapt for the Future
How do we retrofit existing buildings in ways that truly last—both structurally and sustainably? Join us for a focused panel discussion on best practices in building retrofits that reduce environmental impact, support long-term use, and meet the evolving demands of modern life.
Our expert panel—Karen Pickering (University of Edinburgh), Anthony Newman (MLA), and Rob Morrison (BE-ST)—brings together academic insight, architectural experience, and innovation in sustainable construction. Chaired by Sara Seravalli (Il Salotto), the conversation will explore practical approaches to upgrading buildings while respecting their original fabric, enhancing energy performance, and preparing them for decades of continued use.
Whether you’re involved in architecture, urban design, sustainability, or policy, this session will offer grounded strategies, fresh perspectives, and lessons from the field.
The panel will be followed by an informal networking session with drinks—an opportunity to connect, share ideas, and continue the conversation.
Retrofit Scotland: Together Day
At BE-ST Fest in November 2024, we hosted a Retrofit Scotland engagement workshop, gathering over 50 participants to answer a key question:
How can Retrofit Scotland support your work and accelerate retrofit in Scotland?
Their insights have shaped our focus areas, and this first Retrofit Together Day will provide updates on key initiatives from our partners. The presentation will be followed by a workshop to discuss and provide feedback on how we might shape the outcomes to create most impact.
Presentations:
Lori McElroy, Professor of Smart, Resilient Cities, University of Strathclyde
Lori was a founding partner of Retrofit Scotland when it was first established by 2020 Built Environment Group in 2013. Lori will give some historic context to Retrofit Scotland and the opportunities the renewed platform will provide for sharing best practice via the new Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings, where she is leading on research into Occupant Needs & Behaviour. There will be funding opportunities for projects via the centre, and the session will provide updates on process and timescales.
Sara Edmonds, Co-Director, The National Retrofit Hub
With deep expertise in collaborative retrofit initiatives, Sara will present Retrofit Connect, a new initiative from the National Retrofit Hub to build a support programme for community led retrofit organisations and projects, and the project that will test this initiative, the Street Demonstrator Project with Civic Square. The project is developing a cohort of place-based community-led retrofit initiatives to share learning and opportunities to up-scale impact.
Hanna Lundström, Impact Manager, BE-ST
Hanna will share insights from a partnership with Energy Systems Catapult and York City Council to establish a retrofit one-stop-shop. Hanna will discuss the open-source training materials that are being created and will be made available to support similar efforts through Retrofit Scotland.
Rob Morrison, Impact Manager, BE-ST
Rob is leading a Scottish Enterprise-funded project mapping Scotland’s retrofit and energy efficiency sector, with plans to develop a retrofit marketplace on the Retrofit Scotland website. There will be an opportunity for discussion and feedback how this can create the most value for the community of people working across retrofit and energy efficiency.
Format:
13.45 - 14.05: Registration
14.05 - 14.15: Welcome & House keeping – Sara
14.15 - 15.00: Talks (max 10 minutes each..)
15.00 - 15.30: A panel discussion with all speakers with facilitated questions
15.30 - 15.45: Tea & cake break
15.45 - 16.30: Table discussions - focus on the areas of focus outlined via the presentations
16.30 - 16.45: Table summary – 5 mins by each table facilitator
16.45 - 16.55: Closing remarks and next steps
Project partners
This event is supported via the new Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings (CeNZ-HighDB).
It is part of a longer-term programme of stakeholder engagement events that will be produced by BE-ST and other project partners. Find out more about CeNZ-HighDB.