IHBC@COP26 Signpost: ‘Helpdesk+’ Feature Hosts STBA UK, on ‘From Regeneration to Retrofit’

IHBC@COP26 ‘Helpdesk+’ Feature Hosts, STBA UK, release ‘From Regeneration to Retrofit A blueprint for post-Covid recovery’.

… three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental…. fourth pillar – cultural – was added in 2010…

STBA UK writes:

Our latest paper in the Responsible Retrofit series [‘From Regeneration to Retrofit A blueprint for post-Covid recovery’] has now been published…

A Regeneration approach to retrofit is entirely consistent with the aims of the STBA as it requires a broad set of objectives to be taken into account when considering mass retrofit of the building stock. One of those objectives must surely be the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage as represented by traditional buildings; it’s worth noting that this is included in PAS 2035 and PAS 2038 – the new public standards for retrofit in the UK.

We are accustomed to hearing about the three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental. A fourth pillar – cultural – was added in 2010 and subsequently adopted by UNESCO.

However, it’s not just the missing cultural component which is addressed by a Regeneration agenda. A well thought-out programme of regeneration would enable the government to present a recovery which is low cost, low on resource use, mobilises skills & resources, fosters community spirit, repairs the environment, and promotes genuine localism.

We now have ambitious commitments to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and a raft of policy and programmes which seek to drive down energy use of the building stock. If we are planning to invest huge sums of money and effort in transforming our buildings, we should seize the opportunity to achieve a host of other social, economic and environmental objectives, while achieving genuine long term reductions in carbon emissions. This should ensure that we include local employment, sustainable materials sourcing, health, cleaning and re-greening the environment and many other goals in all retrofit decision-making.

This paper explains why and how we got it wrong in the past, sets out the broader regeneration approach, and provides a template to embed genuine sustainability into our forward planning for the built environment.

For more background see the Autumn Newsletter

Download the paper

See more on the STBAUK


Why is IHBC@COP26? Because ‘Conserving our Places Conserves our Planet’

See more background at IHBC’s globally accessible virtual built and historic environment ‘Conservation Helpdesk+’, #IHBCHelpdesk #CultureCOP26

Listen the IHBC@COP26 ‘Climate and Conservation’ Podcasts anytime, or from the Conservation Helpdesk+

See how Conserving our Places Conserves our Planet

This entry was posted in IHBC NewsBlog. Bookmark the permalink.