Old House to Eco-house: A Guide to Retrofitting Historic Buildings

Our 'Old House to Eco-house’ course programmes are aimed at those eager to gain the specific expertise required to design and implement sensitive retrofit strategies appropriate to older buildings.

A series of three standalone one-day courses, with a reduced rate for anyone booking onto all three.  

A more condensed two-day intensive version is planned for the new year with accommodation at our Cirencester campus.

Who are the courses suitable for?

• Conservation officers and heritage planners
• Architects, surveyors and engineers
• Retrofit coordinators and assessors
• Contractors and builders
• Specialist consultants
• Local authority and housing association staff
• Owners, custodians and managers of historic buildings

What you’ll achieve at the end of the courses

Delegates will learn how to:

• Identify appropriate insulation strategies for walls, floors and roofs
• Evaluate glazing upgrade options for historic windows
• Assess renewable energy technologies in heritage contexts
• Utilise case studies illustrating successful retrofit interventions
• Deliver moisture-safe, effective retrofit schemes, appropriate to the physics of the building

How are the courses delivered?

We offer the three standalone courses face-to-face on our RAU campus at Swindon, each over one day.

We adopt a blended learning approach, combining lecture-delivered theory with discussion of real-life case studies, to promote understanding of and engagement with course content amongst delegates.

If you would prefer to undertake all three courses over two consecutive days, we plan to run a two-day intensive in winter 2025-2026, delivered in-person at our Cirencester campus.

About the Course Leaders

The courses are designed by Marianne Suhr, Chartered Building Surveyor and co author of the Old House Eco Handbook.

She will be lecturing alongside a host of nationally-recognised experts in retrofit and conservation, including Nick Heath, Bob Prewett and James Ayres who will bring real life case studies to illustrate a practical approach to decision making.  

 Apply now

To book a place or for further information, please get in touch via our continuing professional development enquiry form or call +44 (0) 1285 652531. 

Our course dates are:

Retrofitting Floors, Walls and Roofs – 15 October 2025, £150 + VAT, Swindon campus

Retrofitting Historic Windows – 12 November 2025, £150 + VAT, Swindon campus

Installing Renewables in Historic Buildings – 10 December 2025, £150 + VAT, Swindon campus

Two-Day Winter Intensive – Date TBC but January/February 2026, Price TBC, Cirencester campus

For those who would prefer to undertake all three courses over two consecutive days.

All course prices include refreshments and a buffet lunch.

A reduced price of £390 + VAT is available to anyone booking all three standalone dates.

The Cultural Heritage Institute at our Swindon campus is a 5-minute walk from Swindon Train Station. For those travelling by car, parking is available at the Bristol Street Carpark (6 Bristol Street, Swindon) at a cost of £10.70 for the day.   

Located in the heart of the Cotswolds - we offer comfortable accommodation at our Cirencester campus, with free on-site parking and sustainable catering using local suppliers. Find out more about our accommodation and book here.

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