Modular and industrialised solutions for building retrofit

More than 85% of the 2050 building stock is already built and almost all will require some form of retrofit/renovation in order to meet global carbon emissions reductions goals. This PhD project will investigate potential methods to accelerate the large-scale roll out of modular and industrialised solutions for building retrofit. Retrofitting is work undertaken to improve an existing building in order to make it more energy-efficient. Typically, older buildings have issues with damp, condensation, draughts and insulation which make them difficult and expensive to heat and can also have impacts on building occupants health and quality of life. Modular and industrialised approaches for building retrofit have been shown to have many benefits, including being faster to install, higher quality, less waste and less disruption to building occupants, etc. However, adoption of the approach has been much lower and slower than required to reach 2050 carbon reduction ambitions. This PhD project could investigate all or part of the retrofit process from design and procurement, through to on-site and off-site/prefabrication construction methods, as well as the potential effects on the building occupants during or after the retrofit.

For informal enquiries plese contact: Dr Alba Fuertes a.fuertes@reading.ac.uk