Designing good architecture should not be that hard. Nor should designing responsible sustainable architecture if you know what you’re doing. When designing from scratch, without the limitations of an existing framework, there is really no excuse not to create a project that, while never perfect, is still predominantly solar passive, energy efficient and environmentally responsible.

But in the case of housing, in Australia at least, and no doubt many other countries, new building stock, however, will not address the problems of existing building stock – much of it old and inefficient, yet not so much so to justify its demolition. But it is possible to amend these buildings and improve them significantly with from minor cosmetic changes through to major structural changes.

This paper looks at the opportunities, incentives and assorted solutions for retrofitting existing housing stock in eastern Australia. Despite the unfortunate trend to demolish and start again, there is a move towards trying to improve what we’ve already got instead. Government rebates and incentives, industry pressure and new technology are also helping to drive this change.

Several case studies will highlight a variety of methods and design issues employed to retrofit existing houses resulting in their being significantly more energy efficient and environmentally responsible, and where possible, solar passive. And thus renew these buildings for increased longevity and sustainability.