Lessons from the UK’s First EnerPhit School Refurbishment

Fleming, on behalf of East Ayrshire Council, has completed work on the UK’s first EnerPHit-certified school refurbishment: St. Sophia’s Primary, Galston. But what does this mean for the overall landscape in construction, and how will others benefit?

As well as marking a large milestone in the retrofit of existing buildings, the project sets out to deliver lasting value to the construction and client community through sharing insights, challenges, and knowledge. The goal is to provide a roadmap for delivering ultra-low energy schools and similar refurbishments in the future.

To support this, BE-ST is developing a series of online learning modules that detail the lessons learned from all perspectives: council, contractor, architect and funder. These will be freely available to anyone interested in the Passivhaus or EnerPHit approach.

What is EnerPHit?

‘EnerPHit’ is the standard internationally recognised for delivering outstanding energy improvements in existing buildings. In terms of airtightness, this school achieved better than the EnerPHit requirements – airtightness results actually met the Passivhaus new build standard.

EnerPHit presents unique challenges, but the result is a higher quality product, which is a healthier, more comfortable, and more sustainable learning environment for our children, young people and future generations, bringing them the best possible learning environment.

What was the project?

The retrofit of the school, located in Ayrshire, was delivered as part of the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme with a capital budget of £5.8m.

Construction began in January 2024 and was completed in June 2025, with final fit-out works scheduled over the summer. Pupils are expected to return to their new and improved school in August 2025.

Lessons and challenges in St Sophia’s

After completion, Tony Ward, Construction Director at Fleming, Alistair Kidd, Architecture and Projects Manager at East Ayrshire Council, and Robin Patterson, Assistant Architectural Manager at East Ayrshire Council, joined BE-ST at the school to share their insights.

Collective learning through collaboration

For Alistair Kidd, Architecture and Projects Manager at East Ayrshire Council, this project was always about more than just a building: “For us, this was all about learning… This whole project has always been about understanding the methodologies and building approaches that would help us reach our climate change goals.”

This spirit of collaboration was echoed by Tony Ward, Construction Director at Fleming, who admitted this was new territory for everyone involved: “We’ve been building for over 60 years, but this was new to us. We do have Passivhaus experience so the skills learned there were transferrable, but this was our first EnerPHit. I’m glad we did it, and the business is glad we did it, but it was a challenge for everyone: contractor, designers, subcontractors, and client alike.”

Robin Patterson, Assistant Architectural Manager at the council, agreed that one of the most valuable outcomes was the collective upskilling and shared understanding that emerged throughout the project. “We didn’t go into this with a full toolkit: we developed it as we went. The benefit is that now we have a team that has lived through it and can carry that experience forward.”

Challenges achieving airtightness

That shared journey wasn't without its growing pains. Air tightness, a cornerstone of the EnerPHit standard, proved to be one of the most technically challenging aspects.

“The building fabric and the penetrations are key to the air tightness,” said Tony. “All you need is one rogue operative putting a hole in the fabric and not telling you, and you have a problem. And it’s a massive problem.”

This led to a strategy of rigorous testing, sampling and visual checks. “Everything was a mock-up and a test,” said Tony. “Once we got to a point where we were confident that it worked, we rolled it out across the building.”

Robin expanded on how this shaped their working process: “What was really different was the sequencing; we started from the outside in. The penetrations had to be made and sealed before any interior work could proceed. It changed the rhythm of the build.”

Unexpected challenges on site

One unexpected challenge came in balancing design and regulation, specifically when it came to doors.

“The doors had to meet British Standards so that a child could use them to exit in the case of a fire, but they also had to seal completely for airtightness,” said Tony. “It took us six months and a German supplier to find a solution that met both needs.”

That kind of detail management played out over and over again across the build. Robin said: “We talk about passive house and what ‘good’ looks like, but the truth is, you only really know once you're on site. Everything is theory until you hit the reality of ceiling heights, service zones and thermal bridges.”

Looking at long-term value

Despite the challenges, the project delivered measurable success.

“We now have an EnerPHit project that achieved 0.6 ACH. We can’t ask for any more than that,” said Tony. “We’ve now got EnerPHit, Passive House, traditional build and timber kit in our portfolio. That sets us up for the future.”

However, Tony notes, “There’s no point in gaining the knowledge if you’re just going to lose it again. Because that’s just a waste of everybody’s time and effort. If we’re going to go down this route, it has to roll out.”

Lessons like this, and many more, will be available soon in the BE-ST Learning Hub. Register for our newsletter to be notified when the learning modules go live and stay up to date with the latest from BE-ST.