The Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance
An alliance of the UK's leading organisations associated with the conservation and improvement of traditional buildings
The UK Centre of Excellence for Traditional Buildings
Knowledge and guidance from the UK's leading experts
We are the home of Responsible Retrofit and are one of the founders of the Whole House Approach in the UK.

STBA at Futurebuild 2026

STBA will be contributing to Futurebuild 2026 at ExCeL London from 3rd to 5th March. The event brings together leaders across retrofit, heritage, construction and building performance to accelerate responsible, moisture aware and heritage informed practice.

We are pleased to share that three STBA linked experts will be speaking:
• Dr Valentina Marincioni (UCL, UKCMB)
• Prof John Edwards (Edwards Hart)
• Kit Knowles (Ecospheric)

Their sessions will explore building physics, moisture risk and responsible retrofit for traditional buildings.

Register To Secure Your Ticket

SAVA On-Demand Webinar:

Moisture Properties of Insulation Materials

STBA is pleased to share an on-demand webinar featuring Michael Netter, Director of the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance, alongside Dr Valentina Marincioni, Technical Director of UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings. The session is hosted by SAVA and facilitated by SAVA’s Director, Hilary Grayson.
The webinar provides an accessible overview of recent STBA research examining how different insulation materials interact with moisture in traditional buildings. It explains why the study was commissioned, how the findings can support more informed retrofit decisions, and how a collaborative peer-review process strengthened the final publication. The discussion also outlines emerging directions for research and practice at a time when retrofit activity is increasing, but evidence-led approaches remain essential.

Watch the on-demand webinar, here.

STBA CALECHE project:
(Coherent, Acceptable, Low Emission Cultural Heritage Efficient renovation)

CALECHE develops a decision support system (DSS) for renovating historic buildings, emphasising a people-centered, holistic, and digitalised approach. The DSS integrates specific protocols for initial evaluations, heritage, energy, structure, engagement, and monitoring, ensuring compliance with cultural value protection regulations. CALECHE focuses on improving key technologies like interior bio-insulation, window conservation, and BIPV, demonstrating the link between innovation and heritage renovation. The work is showcased across four examples and accessible on the Historic Renovation HUB website.

STBA’s role is to lead the coordination on:

  • A literature review placing the approach in a theoretical context
  • A review of existing tools and methodologies placing the approach in a practical context
  • Stakeholder engagement capturing feedback on the identification and weighting of values and benefits as well as analysing trade-offs between various benefits and impacts
  • Bringing those threads together to define the key features and write the specification to this multi-criteria decision support system tool to be hosted on a Historic Renovation Hub

Other partners will be working on integrating BIM, AI, a repository of retrofit solutions, wider stakeholder engagement, and dissemination and communication, as well as four casestudies for pilot study – including individual buildings as well as areas, where outputs will be analysed over a range of factors, heritage and technical.

Retrofit Materials and Moisture Permeability

This new publication provides clear guidance on how different retrofit materials manage moisture within traditional buildings. It explains key principles of permeability and moisture behaviour, helping practitioners make informed and responsible retrofit decisions.

Download the document here.

STBA Briefing Guide: The Use of Natural Insulation in Retrofit

Our briefing guide explores how natural insulation materials perform in traditional buildings. It outlines their moisture-responsive behaviour, practical benefits and considerations for safe installation, supporting balanced and well-informed retrofit practice.

Download the paper, here

‘Retrofit at Scale’ endorses STBA’s Responsible Retrofit Guidance Wheel’ tool

We are thrilled to share the release of ‘Retrofit at Scale,’ a comprehensive document highlighting the critical role of the STBA’s ‘Responsible Retrofit Guidance Wheel‘ tool in sustainable heritage conservation. Read the document to explore how our tool is setting new standards in the heritage retrofit sector.

Download the document here.

Case Studies – Air Source Heat Pump

Historic England’s new case study report examines the installation of air source heat pumps in large historic buildings. Drawing on real projects, it highlights technical challenges, lessons learned, and the importance of early assessment, careful system design, and building-specific approaches to low-carbon heating in heritage contexts.

Read the report, here.

Historic Building Energy Performance – Evidence for Better Retrofit Decisions

Using in-situ measurements from six case studies, the report shows that EPCs often underestimate real performance and makes the case for measured data to support more accurate, proportionate, and building-specific retrofit decisions.

Download the report, here.

From Retrofit to Regeneration

This paper explores the shift from merely upgrading buildings to a broader approach that includes regenerating both the buildings and their communities. It highlights the limitations of retrofitting alone and advocates for a comprehensive strategy that integrates building improvements with social, environmental, and economic revitalisation.

Download the paper, here