Cables Wynd House & Linksview House

Energy-based retrofit and regeneration of two Category-A listed, brutalist residential towers in Leith, Edinburgh. The project puts people at the heart of retrofit, with resident and stakeholder engagement underpinning decision making and informing an approach which holistically balances energy, comfort, health and heritage.

Linksview House, built between 1964-1967, is a Category A listed tower block containing 98 homes which are primarily owned by the City of Edinburgh Council for social rent. As a Registered Social Landlord, the Council have a legal obligation to comply with the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing – EESSH2. 

Compliance with the standard requires significant upgrades to the building’s fabric and services, in addition, it has been acknowledged that the building requires additional refurbishment and upgrading throughout to bring it in-line with new-build standards. The listed status of the building presents both technical and legislative challenges for the retrofit. It demands careful consideration by the Design Team, and engagement with key stakeholders to balance the requirements of the project brief within the nationally significant heritage asset. Collective Architecture has been appointed by AtkinsRéalis, who are the Project Manager, to lead the Design Team and provide Architectural, Conservation and Energy Consultancy for the retrofit of Linksview House. The project utilizes a whole block retrofit approach, which is a new way of thinking for the Council, and holistically considers energy, comfort, health, safety and place-making. Best practice guidance from the Low Energy Transformation Initiative, LETI, has been adopted to provide a clear and robust decision-making framework to enable compliance with EESSH2.

Resident and stakeholder engagement are at the heart of our approach for the retrofit of Linksview House and have been embedded into the design process. Initially this focused on information gathering and listening to the views and experiences of residents and other stakeholders to help the client and Design Team to understand the opportunities and constraints, and to identify key project objectives. 

The holistic approach to retrofit which follows the LETI Retrofit Climate Emergency Design Guide assists the design team in optimising the fabric and services proposals to minimise operational energy whilst delivering best value for both the client and end users. This is critical in identifying the right interventions which will also protect and preserve the building fabric and break the cycle which leads to condensation, damp and mould. This approach also future proofs the proposals, as EESSH2 is currently under review with a specific focus on indoor air quality and alignment with the net zero target. Including residents an other stakeholders in the retrofit journey enables a sense of ownership and influence to be developed. This in turn will deliver a building which residents are proud to live in and call home.

The whole block retrofit of Linksview House creates the potential to demonstrate how to sensitively yet dramatically improve thermal performance and living standards in post-war housing and act as an exemplar for other 20th Century retrofit projects.