The Retrofit Lab
The Retrofit Lab aims to facilitate the transition of buildings, infrastructure, and landscapes for healthier, sustainable, and resilient cities. Established in 2022, The Retrofit Lab is a part of the City of Melbourne Chair in Urban Resilience and Innovation, fostering new enterprises and research collaborations that drive prosperity in Melbourne, Victoria, and Australia. Comprising researchers from various disciplines within the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning , as well as academics from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology and the Faculty of Science, the Lab’s collaborations focus on research proposals, publications, and events to strengthen connections among industry, policy, and research stakeholders.
The Team
- Professor Sarah Bell, Director of The Retrofit Lab, City Of Melbourne Chair In Urban Resilience and Innovation
- Professor Brendon McNiven, Enterprise Professor, Architectural Engineering
- Enzo Lara-Hamilton, Research Fellow, The Retrofit Lab
- Marita Doak, Project Officer in Urban Resilience and Innovation
- Dr Kylie Soanes, Research Fellow, Urban Biodiversity
The Retrofit Lab 2024 Projects
- The Retrofit Forum
- Public Housing
- Re-imagining Streets with Green Infrastructure
- Digital Estates
- Precinct Roadmap
2024 Retrofit Lab Outputs
- Life-cycle Impacts of Public Housing Renewal in Victoria - Evidence Review. The University of Melbourne. Report.
- Bridging the Gap: Retrofit Data Requirements for Zero-Carbon Building Portfolio Decisions- Conference Paper - Decarbonising the Building Industry Research Network 2024 International Symposium
Lab Highlight:
Re-imagining Streets with Green Infrastructure
This project’s overall objective is to demonstrate how streets can be adapted to improve resilience to heatwaves, drought and flooding, while improving their safety, liveability and sociability. It will work with local residents and stakeholders to develop and evaluate designs for deep retrofitting of streets as integrated green infrastructure – how can we add trees to existing streets, and what could that look like? The outcome will be robust evidence to inform more ambitious policy change in urban greening, and solutions to address key barriers to implementation. As part of this project, we are hosting ‘co-design’ workshops, working with local residents and stakeholders to develop a shared vision of greener streets at each site. Case studies will include streets from: Merri-bek Council, City of Melbourne and Brimbank Council.
Lab Highlight: The Retrofit Forum
Co-hosted by The Retrofit Lab at The University of Melbourne and the University of Technology Sydney, the Retrofit Forum provides an open platform to explore retrofit opportunities and challenges in Australia. Convening on the first Tuesday of each month since May, the forum unites industry leaders, government representatives, academics, and the public to exchange knowledge and stay informed about retrofitting practices and research. With a focus on driving the sector forward, these sessions foster a collaborative community dedicated to sharing best practices and insights. Over seven forums, topics have included commercial building retrofits, public housing adaptations, circular economy strategies, retrofit building facades, and bushfire retrofit toolkits. To date, the forum has drawn more than 800+ registrations, uniting the public interested in retrofitting with professionals and academics involved in both local and international retrofit projects, highlighting its significance in the retrofit landscape.
The Retrofit Exhibition 2025
Building upon the success of the 2023 Retrofit Symposium and the 2024 retofit Forums, looking ahead to 2025 the Retrofit will be hosting a Retrofit Exhibition in the Dulux Gallery. The 2025 Retrofit Exhibition will present a multi-scalar definition of retrofit through a collection of small energy efficiency technologies to large precinct scale projects. It will promote retrofitting as a highly sustainable, resilient building practice and stress the importance of both impressive architectural works and the robust energy efficiency measures needed to decarbonise.
