Whole Building Approach for Historic Buildings
These webpages are for anyone interested in improving the energy efficiency and climate resilience of a historic building, while maintaining its significance.
It is often thought that historic buildings are not energy efficient and must be vastly upgraded to improve their energy performance. However, the energy efficiency of traditionally constructed buildings is very often underestimated. Most traditional buildings also have an innate ability to offer greater resilience to our changing climate than their modern counterparts. Even so, there are things we can do to reduce energy use and carbon emissions, increase resilience, and help them remain viable and useful into the future.
These pages describe the 'whole building approach' to achieving energy efficiency and climate resilience.
What is the whole building approach?
To respond to climate change and become resilient we must both reduce our emissions (mitigation) and adapt to the already changing climate (adaptation). Using a combination of mitigation and adaptation interventions can have a powerful multiplier effect. Understanding how these interact and perform with buildings and occupants as a whole, taking a whole building approach, is therefore crucial.
Introduction to the whole building approach
There are many ways to improve the energy efficiency and climate resilience of a historic or traditional building. However, whether there is need or opportunity to do so will vary widely depending on context. To make sure a building is resilient, well adapted, and able to provide a healthy internal environment in our changing climate, it is best to consider all proposals in a holistic manner.
The whole building approach is a systematic process for devising and implementing suitable, coordinated, balanced and well-integrated solutions that:
- are based on a thorough understanding of the building in its context and how it performs
- avoid harm to the significance of the building
- minimise the risks of negative or unintended consequences
- ensure a healthy and comfortable internal environment
- increase climate resilience and minimise environmental impact
- are proportionate, effective, and cost efficient
Taking this approach does not mean that building works must be carried out all at the same time. Work can be undertaken in phases to suit budget constraints, tie in with replacing services or fit around other planned building works. Properly considering and coordinating the phases can prevent unnecessary works being undertaken at any stage. Savings from early energy efficiency interventions can fund later improvements.
Whole building approach stages
A whole building approach is best implemented in a series of consecutive stages. Decisions and actions taken at every stage have a bearing on the quality and success of the outcome:
- Stage 1: Gather Data and Surveys
- Stage 2: Assess and Plan
- Stage 3: Design and Specify
- Stage 4: Procure and Install
- Stage 5: Use, Evaluate and Maintain
Input from all parties involved in the project, including surveyors, assessors, designers, contractors and building users, is vital throughout. Any interventions proposed should be reviewed and assessed carefully at every stage of the process. Building owners, managers and occupants play a crucial role in reducing energy use and should be fully engaged throughout the process. Conflicting aims can then be reconciled, or compromises agreed.
Interventions for historic buildings should be based on a thorough understanding of traditional buildings and the information collated during Stage 1: Gather Data and Surveys. It should also consider the building performance factors, the energy efficiency hierarchy, and climate resilience, including effective adaptation interventions.
Often, the range of knowledge and skills required will not be available from a single source. Individual specialists might be needed to survey, assess, design, install and evaluate. This is especially true with larger, more complicated projects. Assessments or inspections carried out free of charge by companies with a product or treatment to sell should be treated with caution.
Learn More: How to Find the Right Professional Help.
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