The National Retrofit Hub (NRH) has launched two pivotal resources, the Archetypes Best Practice Guide and the NRH Archetypes Library, to help designers, local authorities, property owners, and the wider sector more easily identify and apply archetype-based retrofit solutions. These resources support the use of building archetypes – grouping buildings with shared characteristics – in retrofitting projects across the UK.
Archetyping: A Key Tool for Retrofit Success
Archetyping is a well-established and powerful tool that helps in understanding, profiling, and segmenting building stocks. With numerous characteristics that can define archetypes, there are potentially hundreds of variations across the UK, each suitable for different use cases and audiences.
About the NRH Archetypes Library
The NRH Archetypes Library is a centralised, filterable, and searchable repository that gathers and presents a wealth of archetype documents. This resource is invaluable for retrofit designers, RMI builders, and installers looking for regional archetype guidance to engage clients and develop tailored solutions. By submitting their work to the library, authors can contribute to the growing body of knowledge and best practices available to the sector.
About the Best Practice Methodology Guide
The Best Practice Methodology Guide is designed to help retrofit designers and building owners develop archetype-specific retrofit strategies. It promotes a risk-managed, holistic approach that prioritises the safety and wellbeing of building occupants, ensuring retrofit interventions are both effective and sustainabl
Industry Support for the New Resources
“This new framework by the NRH is a brilliant resource to anyone trying to scale retrofit delivery by helping to standardise the approach to archetyping. It offers a means to accelerate retrofit delivery through the aggregation of building types and solutions, an approach which is crucial for any local authority. The work of Westminster’s Retrofit Taskforce is grounded in an archetype approach, so we are delighted to be an official supporter of the NRH best practice guide, not least because we plan to use it immediately on our own archetypes!” commented Lauren Shevills, Westminster City Council.
“It is no wonder why interest and enthusiasm for Retrofit Archetypes is high; they offer excellent opportunities to collaborate and accelerate. The variety of approaches towards archetyping can be confusing, which creates risks of duplicated or contradictory efforts. This guide, reflecting the outstanding convening and synergising ability of the Hub, offers a clear and robust framework for the many ways to archetype, which will help industry progress retrofit at scale,” said Jack Ostrofsky, Retrofit London Programme Director.
“Archetyping is an essential tool for retrofitting at scale, but it’s always remarkably hard to agree on how to do this. Which is why it’s great to have a guide produced with such wide-ranging input, that sets out clear reasoning on how to sort archetypes and what to include in retrofit guidance,” explained Lizzy Westmacott, ECD Architects
“It is great to see consensus developing around systematic approaches to the development, use and application of archetypes. This guidance provides practical steps for practitioners and those managing retrofit programmes. Historically, archetypes have lacked consistency in development and use, hindering scale-up efforts. This best practice guide helps standardise the process by defining necessary information, desired outcomes, and potential measures, while also clarifying when archetype approaches may not be applicable,” added Ahsan Khan, xRI.
“The new archetyping methodology is a hugely useful framework, helping to build a solid set of guidance that is intuitive and relevant. By adopting the framework when writing guidance, we can start to build a comprehensive library of approaches for the range of buildings in the UK, eroding the knowledge barrier to kick-start the retrofit boom we desperately need,” added Joe Jack Williams, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.
Supporting Collaboration
“The launch of these resources is another step in supporting the retrofit sector’s ability to deliver high-quality, scalable solutions across a diverse range of building types,” said Rachael Owens, NRH Co-Director. “By providing easy access to existing knowledge and a clear methodology for creating new guidance, we hope to empower the industry to take effective, coordinated action to scale up retrofitting efforts.”
Get Involved
The NRH encourages all stakeholders to explore the Archetypes Best Practice Guide and Archetypes Library. We welcome contributions to the library and invite industry professionals to join us in building a robust, accessible knowledge base that can accelerate the pace and quality of retrofitting across the UK.
A webinar, entitled ‘Architypes Best Practice Guide’ is being held on Wednesday 13th November at 1pm. To register for this free to attend webinar, please click here: – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
For more information and to access the resources, visit: Archetypes Library & Best Practice Guide.