Sustainable Buildings: Carbon, Retrofit and Reuse - ARC00137M

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  • Department: Archaeology
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2025-26
    • See module specification for other years: 2024-25

Module summary

This module introduces buildings in relation to their embodied carbon as a new paradigm for creative, sustainable approaches to retrofit and reuse of historic buildings. The module introduces approaches to assessing embodied and whole life-cycle carbon and uses these to provide a framework for considering policy and practice in relation to historic building reuse and retrofit. Case studies and site-based assessment provide examples of decision making in practice for students to develop solutions for historic buildings and their future, sustainable adaptation. This is a fast changing area of policy and practice and this module introduces students to core principles, shifting policies and developing practices in relation to sustainable use and retrofit of the historic built environment.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 2 2025-26

Module aims

  • To introduce students to sustainability within the historic built environment in relation to carbon, retrofit and reuse.
  • To introduce the role of policy and practice within the fast evolving responses to retrofit and reuse of the historic built environment.
  • To understand methods of embodied and life-cycle carbon assessment appropriate for the historic built environment
  • To understand methods of retrofit assessment appropriate for the historic built environment
  • To understand the relevant techniques, approaches and challenges in relation to retrofit and reuse of the historic built environment

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate a systematic understanding of sustainability issues in relation to the historic built environment
  • Critically assess the relevant policies and practices in relation to retrofit and reuse of the historic built environment
  • Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of embodied and whole life-cycle carbon assessment appropriate for the historic built environment
  • Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of retrofit assessment, retrofit techniques, approaches and challenges in relation to the historic built environment
  • To evaluate critically the role of the historic built environment in relation to the climate and ecological crisis

Module content

This module introduces buildings in relation to their embodied carbon as a new paradigm for creative, sustainable approaches to retrofit and reuse of historic buildings. Through a series of lectures, workshops and site visits the module introduces approaches to assessing embodied and whole life-cycle carbon and uses these to provide a framework for considering policy and practice in relation to historic building reuse and retrofit. The case studies and site-based assessment provide examples of decision making in practice for students to develop solutions for historic buildings and their future, sustainable adaptation.

This is a fast changing area of policy and practice and this module introduces students to core principles, shifting policies and developing practices in relation to sustainable use and retrofit of the historic built environment. By focusing on the role of the historic built environment in relation to the climate and ecological crisis the module enables students to challenge stereotypes of old buildings as cold, draughty and inefficient and to rethink the retrofit and reuse of historic buildings as exemplars of climate action.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Formative: oral feedback from module leaders

Summative: written feedback within the University's turnaround policy

Indicative reading