National Centre for Retrofitting Traditional Buildings

Tender description

National Centre for Retrofitting Traditional Buildings Lot 1: This notice relates to a potential contract opportunity relating to the building of the Retrofit Lab, which is to be Historic Environment Scotland's new Scottish National Centre for Retrofit of Traditional Buildings. The new building is to be located next to and operated from The Engine Shed, Historic Environment Scotland's National Conservation Centre, in Stirling. HES has been awarded funding from Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through their Research Infrastructure for Conservation and Heritage Science (RICHeS) Fund to establish the Retrofit Lab, a centre for innovation in the retrofit of traditional buildings and the use of low carbon retrofit materials. This project is being developed in partnership with Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST). BE-ST is Scotland’s national innovation centre for the built environment, working to accelerate the sector’s just transition to zero carbon. BE-ST collaborates with industry, academia, the public sector, and communities to drive research, innovation, and commercialisation, through the adoption of advanced construction materials, products, and technologies. As part of this mission, BE-ST has launched the Mass Timber Centre of Excellence: a dedicated facility to advance the use of homegrown engineered timber in construction, strengthen the supply chain, and promote Scotland as a leader in sustainable building solutions. Project Objectives: The primary role for the Retrofit Lab is ‘Knowledge Transfer’ and will comprise of the following key components: 1. Welcome: Facilities to support the activities of the building and complement those at The Engine Shed. 2. Learning Space: Focus on improving the energy efficiency of traditional buildings through education, training, promoting best practice and demonstrating practical technical solutions. 3. Equipment Library: Train and educate on how to use scientific equipment associated with retrofit and provide equipment that can be used in other locations to inform understanding of buildings and success of interventions. Therefore, the primary Retrofit Lab activity will include: - Lectures, presentations, classroom learning; - Display, exhibition; and - Demonstration, workshops, interaction with equipment. Project Opportunities: The Retrofit Lab project is to be a demonstrator for 1. Embodied Carbon: - Prioritisation of local and low carbon material specification, in particular: home-grown Scottish engineered timber structure, Scottish timber internal linings and external cladding, Scottish natural insulation products and floor finishes. - Prioritisation of circular economy design and specification: reduce, reuse, recycle; and - Modular off-site construction: prefabrication, designed for disassembly, demountable for reuse, minimum waste. 2. Operational Carbon: - Fabric first approach: High levels of airtightness and insulation, control of solar gains; - Highly efficient technologies utilising low-carbon energy: Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP), Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR), LED Lighting; - On-site renewables: PV solar panels; - Provision of battery storage to align the use of solar energy generation to suit demand; and - Responsive Local Controls HES is seeking a supplier experienced in developing and delivering complete building solutions to achieve the project objectives and realise the project opportunities.. HES was granted Planning Permission for the Retrofit Lab by Stirling Council on 16th May 2025, Ref: 25/00141/FUL