Accelerate to Zero

In this episode of the Accelerate to Zero podcast, Hannah Lloyd is joined by Lizzy Westmacott, Associate Director and Regional Head of Sustainability at ECD Architects, to explore what it really means to scale low-carbon solutions in the built environment. The conversation builds on the Scaling Solutions theme highlighted at BE-ST Fest, where Lizzie took part in the panel From Pilot to Portfolio: Financing Retrofit at Scale. Together, they discuss the challenges and opportunities of scaling retrofit, from funding and skills to community engagement and legislation. Drawing on real project experience, Lizzie shares why planning, communication and collaboration are essential to moving beyond pilots and delivering retrofit at pace, with lasting benefits for people, places and the planet.

Today we are recording live from BE-ST Fest where we are focusing on ‘Scaling Solutions’. This means we’re exploring how we chart a viable path to a sustainable future. Over the past few years, we’ve seen inspiring projects that prove change is possible, from new materials, products, and systems, to radical rethinking around how we deliver the kind of better new and existing, housing and infrastructure we need. Now the question is: how do we take what works and scale it at pace, so it has a real, lasting positive impact on our places, our people, and our planet?  In our first episode of the series, we welcome Tomas O'Leary, Managing Director of Mosart. With over 30 years’ experience, Tomas has been a pioneer in zero-carbon, energy-efficient design—blending Passivhaus expertise, innovation, and collaboration to create sustainable, high-comfort buildings that contribute to a better, more inclusive future.

In this episode, we are joined by Professor Sean Smith from the University of Edinburgh. Sean has had an incredible career and has most recently launched Centre for Net Zero High Density Buildings. CeNZ-HighDB will develop, test and underpin delivery of identified new ‘green’ innovations including high-energy efficiency building fabrics, new lower cost rapid-fit heating technologies, novel community heating-cooling systems for complex multi-use streetscapes and advancements in thermal-cooling modelling and data driven innovation to drive green economy growth.

In this episode, we are joined by Emily Carr, Emily is a chartered architect with experience in the historic built environment, now working as a design manager for Kier Construction. She is passionate about creating places that reflect today's society and current values, and preserve and celebrate the heritage of the building's context, while also embracing new technologies to create a more sustainable environment for future generations.  Emily is also an advocate for promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in construction.

In this episode, we are joined by Professor Robert Hairstains, Robert is the founding Director of the Centre for Advanced Timber Technologies (CATT) at the New Model Institute of Technology and Engineering (NMITE) and Head of the Centre for Offsite Construction + Innovative Structures (COCIS) at Edinburgh Napier University. His specialist expertise is in the fields of timber engineering and technology with a focus on adding value to the timber supply chain with an emphasis on engineered timber products and offsite (modular) construction.

In this episode, we are joined by Gina Colley, Associate Director at ThreeSixty Architects. Gina is not only a former BE Changemaker but also a dedicated champion of ED&I, driving positive change within Threesixty Architecture and setting an industry-wide example of best practice.

In this episode of Accelerate to Zero, we chat with Max Garcia about his global journey to co-founding High Six, a modular design for offsite timber construction company. From Scotland to Canada to France, Max has worked at the cutting edge of innovation in the built environment. He shares how the 2010 Haiti earthquake shaped his mission, the exciting breakthroughs happening in construction, and why collaboration is key to achieving a zero-carbon future.

This episode features Energiesprong UK, independent retrofit experts revolutionising home energy refurbishment. Learn how Energiesprong UK collaborates with housing providers, local authorities, and the supply chain to create innovative tools, strategies, and real-life examples of transformation. We’ll also explore Transform-ER, a game-changing Innovate UK-funded project tackling retrofit barriers like rising costs and underperformance. With 13 industry leaders, this initiative is creating a standardised, industrialised retrofit system to deliver one million home upgrades annually by 2030, starting in social housing.

Welcome back to the Accelerate to Zero podcast, where Sara Edmonds and Rob Morrison were joined by Emma Fletcher live from the BE-ST Fest Summit at Paisley Town Hall. Emma is the Low Carbon Housing Director at Octopus Energy. Her career has centred on leading high impact, high innovation projects in real estate, with a particular focus on housing, energy performance and green energy production. Her practical experience includes starting her career in rural surveying and estate management moving into award-winning housing and regeneration developments.

Welcome back to the Accelerate to Zero podcast, where Sara Edmonds and Rob Morrison were joined by Joanna Yarrow live from the BE-ST Fest Summit at Paisley Town Hall. Joanna Yarrow was one of the keynotes of the conference and is an internationally acclaimed expert in sustainable living and a highly respected voice in sustainable business. In this episode she shares insight into her personal journey, her work, and the power of place in delivering better social outcomes.

In this episode of the podcast, Sara alongside Ellora Coupe and Cara Holmes are discussing how to the drive uptake of retrofit across the UK. Together they explore how we can move beyond the technical jargon and connect with people on a more emotional level. Retrofitting isn't just about cutting energy bills, but improving the comfort and future-proofing of our homes.

This week Sara welcomes Elena Godson, Associate Director at Arup, Donal Brown, Director of UK Programs at Ashden Climate Solutions, and Josiah Lockhart, Chief Executive Officer, Changeworks. From the future of retrofit finance to the importance of aligning stakeholders, this conversation provides a rich insight into how retrofit can transform our homes, improve lives, and tackle climate challenges.

In this episode of Accelerate Zero, co-host Rachel Owens, alongside industry experts Gemma, Rob, and Cara, dives deep into the financial challenges and innovative solutions surrounding the retrofit of our homes and communities. With retrofit finance often cited as a major barrier to scaling sustainable practices, this episode explores the existing financial products, the need for better coordination. Tune in to learn how we can make our homes warmer, healthier, and more energy-efficient, while also tackling the broader systemic challenges.

In this episode of the Accelerate to Zero podcast, we dive into the topic of retrofit skills with Douglas Morrison, Deputy CEO of Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BEST), and Pippa Palmer, Founder of Polln and Co-chair of the National Retrofit Hub's Working Group 3. Together, they explore the challenges and opportunities in preparing the workforce for the massive task of retrofitting the UK’s built environment to meet net-zero targets.

Our collaboration with the National Retrofit Hub continues and this week Rachel Owens is joined by Kaye Keenen, BE-ST and Megan Adlen, Travis Perkins. In this episode, we chat about supply chain products and solutions.

The Accelerate to Zero podcast is back with a new series hosted in collaboration with the National Retrofit Hub. In the first episode, Caitriona Jordan (BE-ST) & Rachael Owens (NRH) discuss what it looks like when you put citizens at the heart of data decision-making in retrofit with Lizzy Westmacott, ECD Architects and Louis Daillencourt, Novoville.

In the final episode of this season of the Accelerate to Zero podcast on equality, diversity and inclusion, Heads of Stakeholder Engagement, Kirsty Duncan and Danielle Miller, speak to BE-ST's new board chair Nicola Barclay, about her career, challenges she's faced, and her perspective on diversity, leadership and the changing landscape of the built environment.

In Scotland, 10.5% of workers within the construction sector are disabled. Today we are joined by Martin Griffin, Principal Geotechnical Engineer at GHD and award winning ED&I champion and advocate who leads a national neurodiversity network. Martin is neurodivergent, autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic and visually impaired. Martin's recommended reading: Neurodiversity at Work. (2021) Amanda Kirby (Author), Theo Smith Design for the mind. Neurodiversity and the built environment. Guide Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally Paperback. (2021) Emily Ladau  

Aurora Tallon, Chair of Women Property for Central Scotland and Senior Architect at BakerHicks joins the Accelerate to Zero podcast this week to discuss various equality, diversity and inclusion issues including maternity and paternity leave, language barriers and the benefits of a diverse workforce.

Today we are taking a deeper dive into neurodiversity in the workplace. In August 2023 research from the National Federation of Builders reported that almost 40% of neurodivergent people working in construction have not told their employer about their condition. In this week's episode, we are joined by Richard Gwilt, Digital Construction Manager at Kier Group. Since being diagnosed later in life with autism, Richard has been open to sharing his experiences, exploring and recognising the talent and creativity it can offer. Sign up to the DIveIN Conference.