In this webinar, Principal Lecturer on CAT’s Masters in Sustainable Architecture course Dr Alison Pooley explored the challenges and opportunities around housing, including the potential environmental benefits of retrofitting our current housing stock. Alison was joined in discussion by CAT Graduates Kate Watson and Ian Mawditt.

The recording was made 19 May 2021 at the time of the live webinar.

Sustainable houses in a Zero Carbon Britain

Our Zero Carbon Britain research shows that if we have high Passivhaus standards for new builds, retrofit all existing houses and improve internal temperature control we could reduce energy demand by around 50%, a crucial step in reaching zero carbon.

Making our existing housing stock more responsive to the climate and biodiversity emergency is critical. Regardless of how energy efficient new homes are, they only represent a very small percentage of the houses we will be living in by 2050.

In this webinar, Alison, Kate and Ian outlined the current issues in housing and explore some alternative models. They focused on what we can do as householders and what the building, architecture and housing professions can do to make our homes more environmentally responsive and responsible. 

Alison used case study examples to explore ways we can lower our impact and improve our homes, outlining the potential benefits for all of retrofitting buildings. These case studies ranged from larger schemes to individual houses, offering tips and examples from completed projects on how we can all contribute to the collective action required to move towards a more equitable and resilient future.

Meet the Speakers

Alison is the Programme Leader for the MArch in Sustainable Architecture. Prior to teaching at CAT Alison was in architectural practice for several years, before which she worked as a housing officer in East London; an experience which led her to want to retrain and study architecture. Alison taught at Anglia Ruskin University within the school of Engineering and the Built Environment and was most recently Deputy Head of School with responsibility for the architecture and planning courses. 

As well as teaching at CAT, Alison is a trustee of three local housing charities, including her local Community Land Trust. Her current research is focused on forms of housing that address the future needs of an ageing population, bringing her professional practice full circle to address the imperative of housing inequality.

Alison completed her PhD exploring learning, transformation, and environmental responsibility with the UK construction industry at the Welsh School of Architecture.

Alison was joined by CAT Graduates Kate Watson, Housing Retrofit Project Manager at the West of England Combined Authority and Ian Mawditt, founder of the building performance company Fourwalls. 

More Online Events and Webinars

From practical building tips to in-depth explorations of how we can rise to the climate emergency, our newly developed webinars, online short courses and online events cover a wide range of topics relating to sustainability.

More dates and events are being announced regularly. If you see anything you like make sure you book quickly as we are regularly booking out.

To see what online events are coming up click here