The theme of this year’s World Heritage Day is Heritage and Climate, following ICOMOS’ declaration of a Climate & Ecological Emergency in December 2020. As part of this declaration, ICOMOS recognised not only the need to safeguard heritage from the effects of climate change across the world, but also the “potential of cultural heritage to enable inclusive, transformative and just climate action.”
BPT has continued to encourage the sensitive retrofit of listed and unlisted historic buildings to reduce carbon emissions.
- We published award-winning guidance Warmer Bath on retrofitting traditional buildings.
- In 2021 we also released our ‘Quick Wins’ guide on low cost alterations and changes that can be made by occupiers to improve the thermal performance of their homes.
B&NES Council have continued to update their sustainability and retrofitting guidance, with the publication of a revised Energy Efficiency, Retrofitting and Sustainable Construction Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). The SPD provides an overview on planning policy and explains how traditional materials work to ensure retrofits are sympathetic, and therefore more successful in practice.
Major energy efficiency schemes in the World Heritage Site include the Energy Capture Scheme at the Roman Baths, and the Footprint Project at Bath Abbey, drawing on Bath’s distinctive, natural hot water springs to generate carbon-neutral heating.
Residential schemes at Lansdown Place East and Grosvenor Place show how measures such as ‘slim’ double glazing and secondary glazing can be used without harm to a listed building’s special interest.
For examples of retrofitting in and around Bath, you can check out BPT’s responses to energy efficiency planning applications on our website.
