AECB

🎟️ AECB member early‑bird tickets for this year's annual conference go on sale on Wednesday 29th April at 9am! 💡 Secure your place early and join the AECB community for a day of learning, discussion and connection focused on buildings that perform. 🎙️ The programme is taking shape with some brilliant additions to the line up - confirmed so far we have: Barnabas Calder, Beth Williams, David Glew, Evan Davis, Jon Broome, Nick Grant, Sarah Naidoo-Banks, Ste Garlick and more to come... you can see the evolving programme at 👉 AECB members can book early‑bird tickets here: https://buff.ly/WWdK6MI

💡 Have you heard about AECB CarbonLite Standards and want to know more? 🟢 Tim Martel, Standards and Certification Programme Manager for the AECB, and a handful of AECB CarbonLite Approved Certifiers, plus enthusiastic Self Builder, Dan Stewart, explain what CarbonLite means to them. They share an insight into how CarbonLite informs their work and how the standards can be used to create low carbon, energy efficient buildings that are comfortable and healthy, and quality assured. 📽️ https://buff.ly/LSqhlve or link in bio ℹ️ For more information about CarbonLite and the projects shown in this video, visit our CarbonLite Standards page or reach out to Tim Martel. 🙏 Special thanks to everyone involved: Interviews, filming and editing by Liam Acton Certifiers: Florence Collier - @humblebeeeco Hannah Dixon - @progressinpractice Dushyant Karnik - @etch_associates James Rixon - @rixon_architecture Mark Siddall - https://www.leap4.it/ John Stack - @northarchitectsn16 Self Build Architect: Dan Stewart @birdsong_selfbuild

🚨COMING SOON 💻 Upgrading Suspended Timber Floors: Two Case Studies with Tim Martel 📆 Thurs 21 May 2026 🕙 12-1pm 🔎 This session explores two practical case studies on upgrading suspended timber floors in 1960s homes in Stroud. The first retains the existing floor structure, adding mineral wool insulation while maintaining underfloor ventilation. The second takes a more transformative approach, replacing the timber floor entirely with a high‑performance solid floor to achieve a significantly improved U‑value. The webinar highlights the challenges encountered, the solutions applied, and lessons learned for practitioners. It also compares the suitability and requirements of Building Regulations, the AECB CarbonLite Standards, and Passivhaus guidance, offering attendees a useful reference for best‑practice floor retrofits. 🎙️Tim Martel Tim is the Programme Manager for the AECB Standards and Certification Scheme, an Expert Advisor for the AECB Retrofit course and also supports the PHribbon software. Originally an Architectural Technologist, Tim has also been a Passivhaus Designer since 2012 🎟️ Book your tickets via ⭐ Free to AECB members and £15+vat for non-members

Check out our latest In the Spotlight, with member Jack Howard, who works for Partel. /in-the-spotlight/ Big thanks to Jack for taking the time to share his thoughts, and for his continued support of the AECB! #aecb #memberspotlight

We are really looking forward to hearing about EcoCocon's straw bale system at our next event in Manchester. A natural building system designed for mass production! Grab your free ticket on Eventbrite (link below) AECB Greater Manchester - Wall System Designed by Nature (EcoCocon) - Sponsored by Ecological Building Systems Wednesday 20th May George Mikurcik from Ecological Building Systems will be talking about EcoCocon's straw bale prefabricated construction system. The EcoCocon innovative wall system is revolutionising construction by making the best of natural materials while ensuring healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient living at the same time. This event is kindly being hosted at BDP (Building Design Partnership Ltd) Manchester's Office. /e/aecb-greater-manchester-wall-system-designed-by-nature-ecococon-tickets-1987135368379

💻 Latest Features in designPH with Dave Edwards 📆 Thurs 7 May 2026 🕙 12-1pm 🔎 Learn about the latest developments to get the most out of DesignPH. The SketchUp plugin that enables designers to test their Passivhaus or low energy building designs in an interactive 3D environment. It also provides export to the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP), saving a large amount of data entry. 🎙️Dave Edwards David Edwards is the developer of designPH for the Passive House Institute, working remotely from London. He is engaged in the ongoing research and development of new features for designPH, providing user support and delivering training. He has regularly presented papers at the International Passive House Conferences. David initially studied Physics and later trained in Architecture, spending 10 years in architectural practice. He first discovered PHPP whilst studying for a Masters in 2009 and was quickly impressed by the attention to detail and openness of the calculations. Shortly afterwards he took the qualification to become a Certified Passivhaus Designer. David has provided designPH professional training for the AECB CarbonLite programme, Passivhaus Trust and other iPHA affiliates and also in-house CPD for architectural practices. He has been a regular academic guest tutor, teaching PHPP and designPH to masters and undergraduate students at the UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources. 🎟️ Book your tickets via ⭐ Free to AECB members and £15+vat for non-members

There is still time to book your place for the Whole Life Carbon Assessment Course! Whether you use Carbon Calculator or PHribbon - there is much to learn from Tim Martel Visit: /product/aecb-phribbon-training-course/

I’m really pleased to announce that on April 2nd at 7pm, I’ll be speaking in Newcastle at The Victoria Comet (NE1 5DF). I’ve been invited back by @craig_gilhome Craig and the Low Energy Design Group to deliver another session focused on helping installers better understand the performance gap — and how poor workmanship can significantly impact ASHP performance and efficiency. This will be a practical, real-world talk covering: • Real examples of poor installation (insulation, windows, floors & walls) • How these issues affect heat pump performance • An in-depth look at insulation systems available on the market — with honest pros & cons • Airtightness methods and products installers can use on their own projects • Live samples and mock-ups of systems currently available • Discussion around AECB - Association for Environment Conscious Building and Passivhaus Trust standards The event will also be filmed for the Skool Community and recorded for the InstallD Heat Pump Podcast by Dominic Eves This session is open to everyone — not just heat pump engineers. If you’d like to attend, feel free to get in touch. Look forward to seeing some familiar faces there as ive always enjoyed these evenings with all the knowledge shared. #heatpump #Passivhaus #retrofit #GreenBuilding #construction

📣 Coming soon... 💻 Retrofit of Student Accommodation to the AECB CarbonLite Retrofit Standard – Challenges & Solutions 📆 Tues 28 April 2026 🕙 12-1pm 🔎 In-depth case study of the deep retrofit of 1-11 Portugal Street student housing for St John’s College, Cambridge. Learn how the project team managed moisture risk, developed suitable airtightness and insulation strategies, and worked around space restrictions for mechanical services. 🎙️Not 1, not 2, but 3 brilliant speakers! *Paula Mejia-Wright* Paula is an Associate Director at MCW and has been with the practice since 2011. She brings extensive experience in the higher education sector, having delivered large-scale masterplans, multi-million-pound schemes, and smaller bespoke projects. Her recent work includes deep retrofit projects for historic and Listed buildings within Cambridge Colleges. *Mitch Finn* Mitch is a Building Physicist for Greengauge, carrying out thermal modelling for Passivhaus, Part L, EPCs and overheating, as well as thermal bridging calculations. Mitch has a Masters in Renewable Energy and Energy Management, and is a qualified Passivhaus Consultant, AECB Certifier, On Construction Domestic Energy Assessor and Level 5 Non-Domestic Energy Assessor. *Hannah Jones* Hannah is a founding Director of Greengauge and leads the company’s mechanical and electrical design services. After graduating from Warwick University with first-class honours in Engineering Design and Appropriate Technology (MEng), she gained experience with Halcrow before starting Greengauge. Hannah has a very broad range of experience and skills, and brings to bear her deep understanding of fabric performance in designing simple and robust services in harmony with each building. 🎟️ Book your tickets here: /events/category/aecb-events/aecb-webinars/ ⭐ Free to AECB members and £15+vat for non-members

💡The next cohort of the Whole Life Carbon Assessment Course starts on the 16th April. Find out more: /product/aecb-phribbon-training-course/

Architects AEW and BPD will talk about place based decarbonisation as a holistic approach to retrofit, decarbonisation and placemaking. Place Based Decarbonisation is about applying systems thinking to weave together a holistic approach to retrofit, decarbonisation, placemaking and regenerative design. Ste Garlick and Peter Bartley will be sharing their views on place-based decarbonisation and how BDP and AEW Architects are applying this thinking in practice, including a Case Study from AEW’s Industrial Place Based Decarbonisation Strategy at North Moons Moat Industrial Estate, Redditch. There will be drinks and nibbles to start and the opportunity to ask questions to our speaker after. Followed by a trip to the pub for people who make it that far. Join us on Wednesday 25th March 2026 at 17:00 at AEW Architects Office for an exciting evening filled with networking opportunities, informative presentations and discussion about sustainable building practices. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out in the industry, this event is a great opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals in the AECB Greater Manchester Group. #aecb

Getting to know AECB members - In the Spotlight We have such a diverse community here at the AECB and we want to celebrate it. If you are a member and what to share your reasons for joining - get in touch! Big thanks to @lra_retinue for taking part in our Spotlight Feature.