Cambridge University

Graduate Student, Centre for Sustainable Development

MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development

Trinity Hall

Thesis Title: Retrofit for the Future: Existing Homes and Building Rating Systems

Advisor: Dr. Richard Fenner

About

My career and research activities are shaped by the recognition that ‘business-as-usual’ is no longer a viable option. System-wide change is needed to address the intertwined societal threats of environmental degradation, climate change, resource depletion and energy security. I engage with and link leaders in sustainability matters to share insights, advance knowledge, encourage systems thinking, and promote bottom-up and top-town efforts for positive change. I embrace responsible development, acknowledging that sustainability approaches are still evolving and many ‘better’ solutions remain to be discovered. Particular interest lies in promoting intelligent planning and visionary leadership to build resilience in the built environment to address the impending threats of peak (cheap) oil and climate change.

For my MPhil dissertation, I developed a Building Rating System (BRS) to assess the sustainability merits of existing home retrofits and to indicate the success of a range of retrofit measures. If the UK is to meet its sustainability objectives, significant improvements must be made to Britain’s existing housing stock. By applying the methodology to six case studies, the performance of the retrofit measures adopted and their prioritisation were discussed, together with the effectiveness of a retrofit BRS. I demonstrated how the creation and adoption of a purpose-designed BRS, with escalating mandatory performance levels in energy and water efficiency, would help to drive improvement in existing homes and provide a coherent vehicle for Government strategy and action. Such a system would be integrated with existing building regulations, planning mechanisms, incentive programs, and assessment requirements such as Energy Performance Certificates. The research concluded that change today could not only result in improved home quality and a reduced ecological footprint, but also heighten energy and water system resilience and facilitate adaptation to future climate change.