Welsh Government supports multiple innovative construction schemes across the country, two of which the Active Building Centre Research Programme are co-supporting. These are the Innovative Housing Programme (IHP) and the Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP.)
The Innovative Housing Scheme is in its 4th year of supporting domestic developments which promise to radically change the way a house is procured, designed and delivered for the benefit of the occupant. The ABC-RP is independently reviewing all 1,004 funded projects to understand and review where value has been added and how the scheme can continue to adapt as it targets zero carbon homes across Wales.
The Optimised Retrofit Project is in its first year and aims to transform 1,000 existing properties to a near zero carbon emissions level. This scheme will demonstrate to the built environment how proper, holistic, innovative approaches to retrofit can achieve very low emissions ahead of 2050.
The Active Building Centre Research Programme is helping to shape Welsh Government’s technical specification for the procurement process. Each of the 1,000 properties will require Demand Side Response (DSR) as a fundamental part of the retrofit outcomes. This will require new generation and storage facilities in each house, as well as dramatically increased levels of fabric efficiency. We are serving as Welsh Government’s critical friend throughout the tender process, occurring between now and the end of November 2020.
