Summer 2025 Internship Case Study

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Net Zero Retrofit Pathways

Alexander Austin (BSc Quantity Surveying student) explored how to decarbonise Scotland’s buildings, focussing upon housing stock. The project assessed different retrofit strategies across common building types, comparing three different intervention levels using life cycle assessments to better understand their relative impacts.

Findings showed that operational energy dominates carbon emissions in existing buildings, meaning that even small-scale upgrades can deliver significant impact. Alex’s research identified a hybrid approach to building retrofit as often being the most effective, balancing meaningful energy savings with lower embodied carbon in materials used.

The findings build upon existing assessments on our Edinburgh campus, which highlight the importance of whole-life building assessment when considering sustainable building retrofit and design.