Case Studies

Güterstraße 30, Pforzheim, Germany

Freivogel Architects

Date of Construction: 1970s, Retrofit in 2015
Overview: A nine-story residential tower renovation funded by the "zukunft haus" (future house)  This program considers only innovative housing projects that exceed standard practices and demonstrate pioneering solutions for the future. The building achieves a "near-zero energy" standard with remarkably low CO2 emissions homelessness. 
Main Benefits: In 2015, the annual final energy consumption was 14 kWh/m²a and the annual primary energy consumption was 37 kWh/m²a, which was 65% and 25% below recommended values, respectively. CO2 emissions were reduced by 95%.

Invicta House, Melbourne, Australia

Plus Architecture, STRE Management

Date of Construction: 1920s, Retrofit in 2025
Overview: Retrofit of Invicta House, a century old Flinders Lane and Swanston St building into eight stories of premium office space. Two additional levels were added to the existing structure. It required extensive structural demolition, remedial works, new fire stairs & lift core, the construction of an additional 2 levels with full glass curtain walls, installation of new base build services and a state of the art EOT facility.
Main Benefits: DDA available for all levels. 5-Star NABERS Energy Rating.

Make Room, Melbourne, Australia

i2C Architects, City of Melbourne, Unison Housing, Victorian Government, cohealth

Date of Construction: 1949 + Levels 4 and 5 in 1955, Retrofit in 2024.
Overview: Council-owned building (602 Little Bourke Street). 50 self-contained studio apartments alongside a purpose-built rooftop garden and onsite support space for people experiencing homelessness. 
Main Benefits: Will provide 12 months - 18 months of housing, or until they can be connected with long-term secure housing. Close to EnerPHiT standard. DDA Accessibility rooms. All electric. City of Melbourne retention of ownership with Homes Melbourne.  Pets are allowed.

Wilmcote House, Portsmouth, UK

ECD Architects, Portsmouth City Council

Date of Construction: 1968,  Retrofit in 2018
Overview: Wilmcote House is an EnerPHiT certified retrofit delivered with residents in-situ and has extended the building’s lifespan by 40 years. £12.9 million (approx. £117,000 per flat) 107 in three interlinked blocks.
Main Benefits: A ‘whole building’ approach including triple glazed windows, EnerPHit and Passivhaus standards, Tenants’ energy bills have fallen by an average of £700 a year

Melbourne Skyfarm, Melbourne, Australia

Sustainable Landscape Company, Foodcube, Odonata, Dragonfly

• Overview: Melbourne Skyfarm is a collaboration between Melbourne-based sustainability companies to transform a 2000-square metre rooftop car park into an urban farm and environmental oasis in the heart of the city.
• Objectives: To create an urban rooftop farm on a pre-existing carpark rooftop in Docklands.
• Main Benefits: 5 tonnes of food produce, which is donated to OzHarvest. Classroom facilities for demonstrations and sustainability education. A demonstration project showcasing best practice initiatives such as 'passive solar design, renewable energy, urban greening, zero emissions buildings, carbon neutral transport, zero waste living, urban farming, rainwater harvesting, closed loop cities and urban biodiversity.'

47 Easey Street, Melbourne, Australia

REVIVAL Projects, BAR Studio

• Date of Construction: 1920s, Retrofit in 2023.
• Overview: 47 Easey Street is a recently completed high-performing adaptive reuse project of a 100-year-old factory building. With a uniquely collaborative and adaptive approach throughout the whole process, the project’s has numerous sustainable design features to optimise waste, water, and energy systems.
• Main Benefits: It retains many existing structural elements and facades and utilizes efficient resource management of existing materials, reusing and repurposing them in the new design. Now a series of high performing multi-functional commercial spaces, 47 Easey Street is an unprecedented example of a comprehensive sustainable retrofit.

RMIT New Academic Street, Melbourne, Australia

NMBW, Lyons, MvS Architects, Harrison & White, Maddison Architects, ARUP

• Date of Construction: 1990s, Retrofit in 2017
• Overview: RMIT’s New Academic Street (NAS) is a major retrofit and transformation of RMIT University’s city campus. The project refurbished 30,000m² of four existing buildings, together with three new buildings totalling approximately 6,000m². The project design was a collaboration between Lyons, MvS Architects, NMBW Architecture Studio, Harrison & White, and Maddison Architects, with engineering by ARUP.
• Main Benefits:

500 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Australia

Fender Katsalidis, ISPT

• Date of Construction: 1977, Retrofit in 2023
• Overview: 500 Bourke Street is a transformative CBD commercial retrofit project consisting of 34 levels, 48,000sqm of A-grade floorspace. Initially built in 1977 for NAB, ISPT chose retention over demolition of the existing building, driven by strong ESG, People, and Wellness. It offers a hotel-style concierge, communal spaces, on-site dining, and versatile workspaces.
• Main Benefits: Saved over 57,000 tonnes of embodied carbon in its existing structure and utilizes all-electric systems and offsite renewables for zero carbon operation. During de-fit and strip-out, 85% of materials were diverted from landfill, driven by circular economy principles. This included stripping out and retaining all the furniture (15,211 items), ceiling tiles (42,000sqm), 173 white goods and 1,000+ blinds.

Erneley Close Social Housing Estate, Manchester, UK

Sustainable Housing & Urban Studies Unit [SHUSU], 2E Architects, One Manchester

• Date of Initial Construction: Post-war construction, EnerPHit retrofit in 2015
• Overview: Erneley Close Project is a retrofit project of 32 social housing flats in Manchester, UK. A budget of £3.1 million was allocated to create new community greenspace, reduce energy bills, and increase the comfort of tenants.
• Objectives: EnerPHit standard, lowering energy bills, increase thermal comfort for residents.
• Main Benefits: Increased tentant satisfaction, wellbeing, comfort, creation of a a template which can be used to roll out across building portfolio.

Harvard House Zero, Cambridge MA, USA

Snøhetta, Harvard Center for Green Buildings and Cities

• Date of Construction: 1924, retrofitted in 2018
• Overview: Harvard House Zero is a living laboratory at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Originally a residence, the building was retrofit according to Norwegian Zero Emission Building Standards, accounting for energy and emissions across the entire building life cycle. As the headquarters for the Harvard Centre for Green Buildings & Cities (CGBC), live building data is continually measured.
• Objectives: To create a building which is beyond net-zero including operational and embodied carbon impacts. Very low energy requirements use a portion of the rooftop PVs energy, with the surplus energy production offsetting hidden emissions throughout the building's life cycle, this includes the assumed embodied energy for building operations over a 100 year lifespan.
• Main Benefits: Zero carbon emissions (including energy in materials), almost zero energy requirements for heating and cooling (no HVAC system), 100% natural ventilation, 100% daylight autonomy, no daytime electric light.