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.

New Report: Retrofit Materials and Moisture Permeability

We are pleased to launch a major new publication – Retrofit Materials & Permeability: Understanding Moisture in Traditional Buildings.

Written by UCL and funded by Historic England, Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw, and the Department for Communities (Northern Ireland), this report sets out a clear framework for how insulation materials interact with moisture in traditionally constructed buildings.

It introduces key terms such as vapour-open and moisture-responsive, and explains why relying on single material properties can lead to unintended risks. For practitioners, it offers essential guidance on design decisions, material compatibility, and managing moisture safely during retrofit.

This report is a vital resource for anyone working to improve the performance of the UK’s pre-1919 buildings.

Read the full paper

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.

STBA Briefing Guide: The Use of Natural Insulation in Retrofit

Effective retrofit solutions for traditional buildings must balance energy efficiency, moisture control, and long-term durability. STBA’s latest briefing guide, The Use of Natural Insulation Materials in Retrofit, examines how bio-based materials can help mitigate moisture risks, regulate indoor air quality, and improve thermal buffering.

This guide explores material properties, hygrothermal performance, and regulatory considerations, providing clarity on how natural insulation interacts with existing building fabric. It also discusses barriers to wider adoption and the opportunities for improving retrofit strategies.

An essential resource for industry professionals and policymakers.

Download and read The Use of Natural Insulation in Retrofit

‘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.

STBA Case Study: Ton Pentre: Whole House Retrofit, 2023

STBA is delighted to announce the release of a new Case Study in Whole House Retrofit. The building is a small mid-terraced solid walled dwelling in Wales, typical of many throughout the UK. The case study is particularly significant due to the excellent u-value achieved on the rear wall (0.53W/m2K), with minimal insulation thickness, and the use of materials compatible with the original fabric. Overall, the building exhibits good internal air quality and achieves an EPC band A rating.

Read 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

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) Guide to Energy Retrofit Of Traditional Buildings

Launched in Edinburgh at COP26, STBA Patron member, Historic Environment Scotland, lead the way in this detailed guide on retrofit. This is an illustrative and detailed example of how to utilise modern tools to assess traditional buildings, improve the thermal performance and, retain the character of a site steeped in heritage.

Download the paper, here.