I am a multidisciplinary designer working on making sustainable housing easier to build and on retrofitting existing buildings in a way that is fair and just. The challenge of retrofitting the UK's existing housing stock is a colossal one. Yet as an industry we are solely invested in the technical aspects, often forgetting that people live in buildings. I have been focused on a small yet enormously representative retrofit scheme in Edinburgh which targets low income residents. As a researcher and activist I have seen first-hand how a scheme 'done to' people, as opposed to co-created with them, can cause harm.

My work centres on user needs and I cannot think of a place where we need this more than when it comes to people's homes. Modifying, altering and changing buildings carries layers of needs, motivations and incentives for residents. This is particularly true in blocks of flats, where neighbours might need to work together to achieve successful retrofit outcomes. I will research how retrofit schemes can be co-designed with residents and how others have tackled the vast power, information and financial imbalances involved.