Current Students Tell us why they are Finding the CarbonLite Retrofit Course Invaluable
We are excited to confirm that our first cohort of students are close to satisfactorily completing the eight on-line modules of our first CarbonLite Retrofit Course, fitting their learning around work and other commitments. They have been continually assessed by questions, homework and through webinars with input from experienced AECB tutors who have first hand experience of retrofit. A big thanks go to these students for their feedback and reviews which is being used to refine the course even further.
Daren, an architectural technologist from Cornwall provided us with constructive feedback which has enabled us to improve the course further but overall he told us he found the course ‘extremely enlightening’ and wished that this type of information had been available when he first started out, particularly regarding moisture and movement in a building – something which is sometimes not even considered when planning a construction. Daren passed on his thanks to all the contributors for the effort they have put in to preparing the course and says “Without this effort we cannot hope to make change to the construction industry.”
Lois, an Environmental Scientist from Lancashire has found the course ‘superb’. She and her husband are currently involved in a home DIY project converting an old 1890’s Victorian, Industrial building into their own home. The property was formerly converted into an office with no emphasis on low energy. They are currently mid –deep retrofit with no kitchen and just a woodburner for heating. Lois says “There is a lot of retrofit advice on-line but some of is contradictory. I was eager to obtain reliable information from a trustworthy source to ensure the project is a success, and to have confidence in the approach we are taking”. The couple intend to live in the house for the next few decades so it is important they get the retrofit right first time. Needless to say, Lois is very busy with her job and the project but has fit the course in around her commitments, mainly during the evenings. Lois is keen to recommend the retrofit course to others who wish to be in control of their own retrofit provided they have some background knowledge of science or possess a technical mind.
Lois shares a picture of her retrofit project on the left, showing the newly built outer skin of the retrofitted cavity wall. Built with reclaimed local stone, the original stone wall was lime rendered as an airtight parge coat, tied using teplo cavity ties and insulated with 250mm full fill mineral wool.
Nick from Cornwall tell us; “I work in an architectural practice with a broad range of experience in “lower” energy retrofit so I wasn’t sure if the course would really push things far enough – not true! It covers a wide range of subject matter some of it from first principles, lots of it based on real world experience and often fresh from the coal face of current research. I’d highly recommend it to other architects but do set aside sufficient time and if you can do it with a friend or colleague then this provides added support.”
Another student, John from Buckinghamshire says “I’ve worked in IT for the majority of my career and have always had an interest in architecture and construction. We bought our home, a 1960’s bungalow, 3 years ago with the intention of remodelling the layout while also performing a energy efficient refurbishment. Since then we’ve thoroughly researched deep retrofits and thought we had a good understanding of the issues involved. However, this course has covered topics I hadn’t even thought about researching and has proved invaluable, especially in relation to designing a moisture robust retrofit; I can highly recommend it”