Retrofit Coordinators—expertise that pays for itself!
Public sentiment toward waste in the building trade has changed dramatically. Once, the demolition of old buildings was a matter of routine. Today, whether driven by consciousness or cost-saving, people seek to retrofit instead. Due to this growing market, a new brand of specialist consultants has emerged: Retrofit Coordinators.

Traditionally, this skill set sat within the range of expertise expected of architects. So why did such a role require formalising as a separate voice in the design team? One major factor is the need for consistency in quality for publicly funded projects. Public money could come in the form of government grants for homeowners to make energy upgrades, or it could be councils upgrading their social housing stocks. If a scheme is government-funded, it needs to be submitted to TrustMark, which requires a retrofit coordinator with a qualification endorsed by PAS2035.
Top Tip: If you are engaging an architect to undertake a project that includes retrofit that is funded (even partially) by public money, then make sure to enquire whether they have PAS2035 certified retrofit coordinators in-house—or you may find this presented as an additional cost.
Let’s put the need for retrofit into context: in 2023, the UK energy use for domestic purposes was over ‘30 million tonnes of oil equivalent’ (Digest of UK Energy Statistics Annual data for UK, 2023). If you fast-forward a quarter of a century to 2050, it is anticipated that 80% of today’s buildings will still be in use (according to LETI). These two statistics highlight that our national energy demand simply won’t reduce quickly enough by waiting for old buildings to be replaced with new, better-performing ones—we have to improve what we have.
As an interdisciplinary team of architects, planners, and urban designers, our clients enjoy a joined-up level of consultant collaboration—from the excitement of design development to the nitty-gritty of policy compliance. Adding retrofit expertise to our team’s skillset was necessary to keep expertise in-house and reduce consultancy costs for our clients.
To illustrate how the Retrofit Coordination workflow fits into the course of an architectural project, we have overlaid the key retrofit gateways over the RIBA Plan of Work 2020. You can see an illustration of our hybrid workflow diagram to get an understanding of how a retrofit coordinator is involved from inception all the way to post-occupancy.

WWA Architects Matt Jackson and Ewan Green are certified Retrofit Coordinators – we asked them a series of questions to help orientate clients who may be reading about the retrofit coordinator role for the first time:
What is the scale of the UK’s retrofit ambitions?
Matt Jackson: “The UK Government published a Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap aiming to retrofit 97% of existing dwellings by 2040. This equates to almost 630,000 homes per year.”
Why retrofit when we can replace buildings with much more efficient ones?
Matt Jackson: “Typically, there is higher embodied carbon for demolition and rebuild over retrofit (on average twice as much). Whilst operational carbon emissions tend to be lower in a new build scheme, a well-considered whole-dwelling retrofit can reduce operational carbon emission levels to a similar level.”
Can you name one major obstacle hindering the UK retrofit revolution?
Ewan Green: “Tax is higher on electricity compared to gas. If it were less, there would be a much stronger argument for clients adopting renewable energy in their retrofit projects.”
Does retrofit only really apply to historic buildings?
Matt Jackson: “Let’s look at the figures—there are nearly 380,000 listed buildings in England, while the UK’s total domestic housing stock is around 30 million homes. This illustrates that the massive majority of homes that can be retrofitted are not listed. It is still important to consider how changes to an existing building’s fabric and the addition of renewable energy infrastructure might impact appearance, and this is why having a dual qualification as an architect and retrofit coordinator is so important.”
Ewan Green: “Retrofit work relates to upgrading any building. PAS2035 identifies older and traditional buildings as pre-1940. Alongside the ‘Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management’ course, I also studied a module called ‘Level 3 Older and Traditional Buildings’ required for buildings pre-1940. Having both qualifications means I can apply my expertise to all of the projects that we work on here at WWA.”
Why does the role need to be defined, structured, or governed?
Matt Jackson: “There have been many examples of bad retrofit, instances where changes have been made with the aim to improve but which made problems worse. Often through poorly considered measures, limited survey and understanding of the existing building, incorrect specification, poor workmanship, etc. As a consequence of such poor work, homeowners may not recoup their costs or, even worse, end up with other problems such as damp issues. Such negative experiences seed doubt and distrust in the public which serves to slow the speed of take-up and puts less pressure on politicians to act.”
Can retrofit pay for itself in energy savings?
Ewan Green: “The retrofit coordinator will propose EEMs (energy efficient measures), which is like a shopping list of compatible measures of work. They will then look at packages of EEMs and provide cost information in terms of payback (money) and carbon cost savings (CO2), which are then discussed with the client. The plan called a ‘Medium Term Improvement Plan’ can allow for phasing, so the first stages of work will meet the client’s current funds, and subsequent phases of work can be paid for with future savings / anticipated funds. A good methodology targets what is called ‘low hanging fruit’, which means the most cost-effective work is undertaken first to enable the reinvestment of initial savings into later phases.”
What is the starting point for a retrofit project?
Matt Jackson: “The first steps, usually undertaken by a retrofit assessor, are to understand the fabric, construction, and condition of the building through visiting and surveying its existing energy performance. A retrofit coordinator can then, through conversation with the owner/occupier, build a picture of how the building is used/lived in that can help the interpretation of energy consumption data such as energy bills. With this knowledge, it is possible to insightfully analyse information about the building’s operational energy consumption to understand where the greatest gains might be achieved through retrofit. Working with the client, we can propose a schedule of EEMs (energy-efficient measures) that are compatible with the future vision for the building. Being both an architect and a retrofit coordinator means that I can look at the project holistically and inform the client of all statutory approvals needed. On their behalf, I can submit the applications so that they get a fully joined-up experience without getting caught out by technical and administrative hurdles.”
At WWA, not only do we help our clients meet their energy-saving ambitions, but we are also signatories to the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, meaning that we are committed to reducing our business’ operational energy demand by 60% and embodied carbon by 40% within this timescale. In the first year after signing this pledge, we reduced our carbon emissions by 31%! We are enjoying these financial savings, and the time invested to achieve it has been repaid in lower operational costs.
Anyone with some control over a building’s operating energy expenditures, including CEOs, estate managers, homeowners, and school bursars, should take action now to save money later. Talk to us about how evolving laws can affect your upcoming projects if you are in charge of commissioning or allocating public funds for retrofit projects. We are always pleased to share our knowledge and experience.
For more information about our Retrofit Coordinator service, get in touch with either Matt Jackson or Ewan Green who co-authored this article, by calling us at 0208 941 5161 or emailing enquiries@wwa-studios.com