Be-St

The UK’s biggest festival for a low carbon built environment will be taken directly to regional Scottish communities for the first time. For the past five years, industry leaders, policymakers, innovators and practitioners have travelled to Glasgow for BE-ST Fest. In 2026, the festival evolves

BE-ST and Carbon Futures have announced a new strategic partnership designed to combine their respective strengths and deliver greater impact on their shared mission to accelerate the decarbonisation of the built environment. BE-ST will enter into this initial two-year partnership via its subsidiary

A major disruptor in the UK construction sector, based in the South of Scotland, is benefitting from a £330,000 grant to propel its pioneering recycled‑glass building technology. Vaso by Eco takes waste glass and converts it into high‑performance structural panels capable of delivering rap

Changeworks has been recognised for its commitment to an inclusive and diverse workforce to enable climate action, winning the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the Built Environment-Smarter Transformation Accelerate to Zero Awards 2025. The recognition highlights Changeworks’ ongoing leadershi

Ahead of joining other industry leaders at this year’s International Retrofit Conference next week to explore how retrofit can move beyond isolated pilots to become financeable, scalable programmes, Tara Schmidt, executive director at Transition Finance Scotland, has outlined how to overcome s

After a decade of challenging misperceptions around the quality, safety, and potential of Scottish timber, BE-ST has launched the Mass Timber Centre of Excellence - a milestone in the journey to making UK-grown mass timber a mainstream, high-value construction solution. Sam Hart, associate dire

A major initiative to lower carbon emissions generated by Scotland’s most densely populated urban buildings was officially launched last week at a sold-out event hosted at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. The Centre for Net-Zero High Density Buildings, based at the University of Edinburgh and

The Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) has published a new report assessing the quality, usefulness, and validity of data currently held by building owners across Scotland. Named ‘The National Existing Buildings Database’, this report represents a key step in understanding the informati

The strategic partnership between Scotland’s National Retrofit Centre, hosted by BE-ST, and the UK National Retrofit Hub has deepened through new appointments. Since 2023 BE-ST and the National Retrofit Hub (NRH) have worked together to enable the delivery of retrofit at scale across the UK. T

Retrofit Scotland was relaunched at the International Retrofit Conference yesterday.

A recent MSP reception was held at the Scottish Parliament aimed at exploring the next steps for the proposed Scottish Passivhaus equivalent legislation. Sponsored by Alex Rowley MSP, the reception on 28 February was attended by MSPs from across the political spectrum, including minister for housing

Scotland’s first eco construction training centre is teaching students key skills to deliver net zero targets. Constructed by McTaggart Construction, the newly opened state-of-the-art facility at West Lothian College supports sustainable construction and energy efficiencies. It will provide tr

Caitriona Jordan, head of retrofit at Built Environment Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), Sara Edmonds, head of citizen engagement at BE-ST, and co-director of the National Retrofit Hub (NRH), and Rachael Owens, co-director of NRH, share their insights from the International Retrofit Conference. As th

Changeworks has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) with the aim of accelerating and improving retrofit in Scotland.

The organisers of this year’s Green Home Festival are urging homeowners and the construction industry to “be brave” and embrace innovations like microwave heating to help build a more sustainable future and meet net zero targets.