Red Co-operative Ltd

Constructing Excellence

Retrofitting insulation and renewable energy generation to existing buildings is complex and often fails to achieve the designed performance or fails to seize the opportunities available to improve the design of buildings. We wanted to improve achievement within the retrofit sector by bringing together all of the elements of a retrofit project, from technical assessment of the current and potential energy needs, to design of both retrofit details and the major building elements which often trigger building work, to working on site and sharing the knowledge gained afterwards in a cycle of improvement for all working in the field, not just our company.

Our solution was to create a company that could carry out all elements, including:

  • Developed a Whole House assessment system based on SAP building performance analysis which has then been linked to real costings to enable the designer to value engineer the best outcomes without tender cost rises
  • Research and design of optimal details for retrofit, made available to all through the Retrofit Pattern Book and used/refined on site
  • Design to take advantage of opportunities to improve the look of buildings and make retrofit desirable not just functional
  • Direct contracting, enabling discussion between trades and designers to get the best outcomes and facilitate adaption on site with no contractual charges
  • Design to use left over materials to minimise waste and create new items such as furniture
  • This makes retrofit aspirational – about what you can have, rather than what you must give up.