Smarter Transformation

Lothian Heat is a new regional organisation exploring how large-scale heat networks could be delivered differently in the East of Scotland. Its core proposition is straightforward but ambitious: capture waste heat that is currently being thrown away, move it to where demand is highest, and deliver it at the lowest possible cost with community ownership embedded over the long term.

Construction and demolition produce nearly half of Scotland’s waste, and much of that arises not out of necessity, but due to underuse of reuse opportunities. Zero Waste Scotland is tackling these issues, pushing for a shift from linear “take, make, waste” models to a circular, resource-efficient built environment.

Kier is helping redefine the future of housing decarbonisation in Scotland. Its work at Prospecthill Court in Greenock has become a national exemplar, demonstrating genuine ambition to set new standards for energy efficiency, stakeholder collaboration, and social value.

In response to the climate emergency, Cheshire East Council commissioned Purcell to lead the retrofit of a series of Grade II listed railway cottages in Crewe. These Victorian homes, constructed between 1848 and 1858 for railway workers, are deeply embedded in the town’s industrial heritage and architectural identity.

IndiNature began eight years ago as a start-up aiming to insulate buildings with natural hemp insulation.

GreenFlip, a company aiming to address the challenge of retrofitting homes at scale.

The Centre for Net Zero High-Density Buildings (CeNZ-HighDB) is funded by UKRI as part of the UK’s Green Economy Centre. Led by the University of Edinburgh, behind the Centre sits a research partnership between the Universities of Glasgow, Strathclyde, West of Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University, and BE-ST.

Midlothian Energy Limited (MEL) is a joint venture between Midlothian Council and Vattenfall that is delivering a heat network for local people, keeping them at the heart of planning, delivery and roll-out. But to create success in this region and further afield, we must win people’s belief in the technology first.

This piece from Mosart, Passive House architects, consultants and educators, explores how teams in Ireland are standardising Passivhaus delivery at scale, through a playbook with practical steps Scotland can apply now.

When British Land set out to re-energise 3 Sheldon Square, an 11-storey, 13 000 m² office building at Paddington Campus, the brief was clear: create a diverse, vibrant, low-carbon workplace that would set the tone for refurbishment on the estate up to 2030 and beyond.

MOD X is a heavily influential organisation from the United States whose mission centres around this learning journey around offsite construction. It regularly tours leading offsite regions, including Japan, Germany, Sweden and more, to collect lessons learned to influence policy and tackle the housing challenges faced in their home country. Their experience, in turn, makes them a unique repository of international offsite construction knowledge gathered from across the globe.  

Tara Schmidt, Executive Director at Transition Finance Scotland, will be joining other industry leaders at this year’s International Retrofit Conference to explore how retrofit can move beyond isolated pilots to become financeable, scalable programmes.  

Speaking ahead of November’s BE-ST Fest, a two-day industry conference focused on net-zero carbon construction, Mark Farmer, Founder at Cast Consultancy, will be sharing his insights on the future of construction skills at this year’s BE-ST Fest Summit.  

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?

Robert has been a leading figure in timber innovation and off-site construction throughout his career which spans both academia and industry.