Scotland's National Retrofit Centre (SNRC) has been shortlisted in the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards' Adaptive Reuse into Other category, recognising an ambitious decarbonisation demonstrator delivered with BE-ST, Clark Contracts and John Gilbert Architects (JGA).

Run by The Architects' Journal, the awards acknowledge design expertise, innovation and ingenuity in adapting, upgrading and reusing buildings to address the climate emergency.

The SNRC overhaul, undertaken in partnership with BE-ST, Clark Contracts and JGA, forms the first phase of wider retrofit and refurbishment across BE-ST's Innovation Campus. The work aligns with BE-ST's goal to decarbonise the estate while showcasing scalable, high-quality retrofit solutions at national level.

Following a fabric-first strategy, the team increased insulation and airtightness to enhance thermal performance and replaced the existing gas-based heating with a zero direct emissions solution. The new system brings together hybrid heat pumps, solar PV and thermal arrays, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and energy-efficient lighting and controls.

The building's curtain walling was removed and replaced with an insulated Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) panel system manufactured at BE-ST's Mass Timber Centre of Excellence. Additional roof and floor insulation further reduced heating demand.

To share learning across the sector, Clark Contracts, BE-ST and JGA hosted a series of Behind the Build events, enabling construction professionals, students and trainees to witness the deep retrofit in progress.

Gerry Cummins, Director, Clark Contracts, said: "We are delighted that Scotland's National Retrofit Centre has been shortlisted at the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards. The project is a strong example of what can be achieved when the project team shares a clear ambition to deliver practical progress in retrofit and decarbonisation.

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"BE-ST's vision for the SNRC has created an important platform for the industry to learn from real-life retrofit solutions, while John Gilbert Architects' expertise has helped shape a building that supports innovation, skills development and knowledge exchange. We are proud to have played our part in delivering a facility that will help support Scotland's transition to net zero."

Gavin Johnston, Associate Director for Collaborative Partnerships at BE-ST added: "We are incredibly proud to see the ambition behind Scotland's National Retrofit Centre recognised by the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards. This project demonstrates how, through innovation and aspiration, home-grown Scottish timber can be used in construction, bringing together the knowledge, capability and infrastructure BE-ST has developed over the past decade and applying it to a complex, real world retrofit.

"Manufacturing the timber panels off site in a controlled environment also provided the precision, consistency and high degree of quality control required to meet the project's exceptional performance targets.

"The exceptionally low embodied carbon achieved sends an important message: best practice in sustainable design is not limited to new buildings. These solutions can be applied successfully through retrofit, creating significant opportunities to improve our existing building stock while supporting Scottish materials, skills and manufacturing. This recognition will help us share that learning more widely and raise awareness of what is now possible."

Barbara Lantschner, Associate Director at John Gilbert Architects said: "We are delighted to see Scotland's National Retrofit Centre project recognised by these prestigious awards. From the outset, our ambition was to demonstrate how thoughtful retrofit design, a scalable approach and evidence-based decision-making could transform an existing, expensive-to-run building into a high-performing, low-carbon and comfortable facility. By showcasing a wide range of low-carbon strategies across both the building fabric and M&E and renewable energy systems, we have, in collaboration with BE-ST and Clark Contracts, delivered a project that not only supports Scotland's net zero ambitions but also serves as a lasting demonstration of retrofit best practice, helping to inform future projects, develop industry skills and accelerate the wider adoption of high-quality retrofit solutions."

The SNRC will operate as a demonstrator for complex retrofit, as well as a centre of excellence for training, upskilling and knowledge exchange. Facilities will include testing and training rigs, workshops and events to speed up the adoption of practical retrofit solutions across Scotland and further afield.

The project received part-funding through Phase 1 of Scotland's Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund. Edinburgh Napier University, which administers BE-ST, was awarded £1.2m via the fund, delivered by Salix on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Winners of the AJ Retrofit & Reuse Awards will be revealed at a ceremony in London later this year.