Collaborating for a zero carbon future: Professor Sean Smith, 2024 BE-ST Beacon Award Winner

Sean Smith, Professor of Future Construction and Director of the Centre for Future Infrastructure within the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, was awarded the BE-ST Beacon Award in 2024. He joined us recently to reflect on the future of buildings and the built environment in Scotland. From the significant progress in retrofit to the critical importance of supporting young professionals, his insights offer a hopeful and practical route to a zero carbon future. 

The future is retrofit 

There are over 2.6 million homes in Scotland needing energy efficiency upgrades. To meet net zero targets, the scale of retrofit required is significant. Nevertheless, Professor Smith points out that we now have some of the momentum we need to make progress. “We're past the stage of thinking: Where is the silver bullet? The big innovation? It's now about how do we take the existing solutions and apply them.” 

Professor Smith leads The Centre for Future Infrastructure, which has been working on this by identifying how we can adapt current products and processes for Scotland’s building stock, and helping industry deliver them at scale. The recently established Centre for High Density Net Zero Buildings, for example, is developing retrofit approaches for Scotland’s tenements and flatted blocks. In partnership with BE-ST and other university partners, this work will also feed into Retrofit Scotland, a platform connecting academia, industry, citizens, local and national government to scale retrofit. Specifically, it’ll support the programme by providing practical archetype solutions for widespread use. 

Scaling innovation through collaboration 

Professor Smith highlights that retrofit progress so far has been the result of deep collaboration across academia, industry, and government. But he also cautions that we can’t afford to work in siloes. 

“In the past we might have innovated in isolation or on our own, but I that time is gone. We really do need to work together - work across sectors, work with other countries, look at what’s happening in other places and not try to reinvent the wheel.” 

Part of that collaboration comes through initiatives like the BE-ST Beacon Awards, which recognise individuals making an exceptional, collaborative contribution to decarbonising the built environment.  

On being named a BE-ST Beacon in 2024 he recalls, "I was absolutely honoured. and humbled on the night... It was a wonderful acknowledgement of the work I’ve done. It’s also acknowledgement absolutely of lots of the people I’ve worked with - otherwise, you know, we wouldn’t be able to do the work without all that collaboration, both with industry, public sector, government and other academic colleagues.” 

He sees the Beacon network as a resource Scotland should make greater use of, “There’s a real opportunity with the Beacon network. You’ve got some amazing people there that BE-ST, Scottish Government, and industry could tap into.” He adds, “What better way to garner the evidence that’s coming forward, where we could disseminate a lot of the great work that’s happening across the different Beacon award winners, and also for them to champion their colleagues and what their colleagues are doing.” 

A message for the next generation 

Professor Smith also had a message for young professionals starting out in the sector, “The one thing I would say to people coming into the sector is don’t stay in your domain. Try and look beyond it. Be holistic in your thinking.” 

Reflecting on his own career since entering the sector, he noted the dramatic growth in complexity alongside opportunity. “There’s guaranteed work for the next 20–30 years in the sector...There’s a number of solutions that will still need to be developed that will require innovation. That will require people to collaborate and bring other people forward. $100 trillion is going to be spent in the next 20 years globally in infrastructure - what better sector to come in?” 

And the sector, he says, isn’t just for engineers or architects. The holistic nature of the net zerosustainability challenge means there’s room for a wide range of skills, from data and digital, to communications and community engagement. 

The importance of sharing solutions 

Looking ahead, Professor Smith sees great potential in platforms like Retrofit Scotland, which offers a ‘one-stop shop’ for retrofit knowledge and solutions. He also emphasises the importance of public events and networks, like BE-ST Fest and the International Retrofit Conference, in bringing people together and ensuring knowledge transfer happens across organisations.