Tuesday 14 July\, 7.30pm
\n
\n In this first talk of SPAB Irela
nd's 2026 lecture series\, Gissella Renolfi\, Carr
ig Conservation and a SPAB Ireland Committee membe
r\, will draw on her own experience of upgrading h
er home. Aimed at homeowners\, the talk will expl
ore how to understand a building's fabric\, assess
its condition\, and develop a considered approach
to upgrading or retrofitting a traditional buildi
ng.
\n
\n The lecture will explore why
traditional buildings need to be properly understo
od before retrofit measures are introduced\, and w
hy insulation should never be considered in isolat
ion from the wider performance of the building. Us
ing a whole-building approach\, the talk will look
at how traditional structures manage heat\, air\,
and moisture\, and how well-intentioned intervent
ions can sometimes lead to unintended consequences
such as damp\, condensation\, decay\, and long-te
rm fabric damage.
\n
\n Drawing on prac
tical conservation experience\, the session will c
onsider the importance of assessing the condition\
, materials\, and behaviour of a building before d
ecisions are made. It will show how a careful and
informed approach can help improve comfort\, energ
y efficiency\, and resilience while still respecti
ng the character and significance of older buildin
gs.
\n
\n Attendees will come away with
a better understanding of the principles behind s
ensitive retrofit in traditional buildings\, the r
isks of poorly considered upgrades\, and the value
of seeing the building as a complete system rathe
r than a set of separate elements. The lecture wil
l be relevant to homeowners\, conservation profess
ionals\, architects\, surveyors\, and anyone invol
ved in the care or adaptation of older buildings.
There will also be an opportunity to ask live ques
tions during a Q&A at the end of the session.
This l ecture is aimed at home owners. It will help them understanding their building fabric and means to a ssess it to prepare an upgrade and/or retrofit str ategy.
\n \n• Why traditional buildings should be as
sessed before retrofit works begin.
\n • W
hy insulation must be considered as part of a whol
e-building approach.
\n • How traditional
buildings manage heat\, air\, and moisture.
\
n • What can go wrong when retrofit measures ar
e poorly planned.
\n • How to improve comf
ort and energy performance without damaging histor
ic fabric.
\n • How better understanding l
eads to better repair and retrofit decisions.
You will nee d a computer\, phone or other device with a stable internet connection
\n \nGissella Renolfi is a Con
servation Consultant and Architect with Carrig Conservation Internati
onal. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Appl
ied Building Repair and Conservation from Trinity
College Dublin and has worked on a range of signif
icant conservation projects\, including Parnell Sq
uare Library\, St Patrick’s University Hospital\,
and Rossmore Mausoleum. Her professional interests
include the care\, repair\, and adaptation of his
toric buildings\, and she has also been involved w
ith SPAB Ireland as a committee member since 2018.
\n
Closed captions are available for this talk.
\ n \nThis event is g enerously supported by The Heritage Council.
\ n \nAll bookings are subject to our < a href="https://www.spab.org.uk/content/booking-te rms-and-conditions" rel="noreferrer noopener" targ et="_blank">Terms and Conditions.
\n \nPhoto credit: Rosemary Kane/ Alamy
DESCRIPTION:SPAB Ireland Lecture Series 2026\n \n Assess Befor e You Act: Whole Building Approach for Vernacular Energy Efficiency and Climate Resilience\n \n Giss ella Renolfi\n \n \n Tuesday 14 July\, 7.30pm\n \n \n \n In this first talk of SPAB Ireland's 2026 l ecture series\, Gissella Renolfi\, Carrig Conserva tion and a SPAB Ireland Committee member\, will dr aw on her own experience of upgrading her home. A imed at homeowners\, the talk will explore how to understand a building's fabric\, assess its condit ion\, and develop a considered approach to upgradi ng or retrofitting a traditional building.\n \n \n \n The lecture will explore why traditional build ings need to be properly understood before retrofi t measures are introduced\, and why insulation sho uld never be considered in isolation from the wide r performance of the building. Using a whole-build ing approach\, the talk will look at how tradition al structures manage heat\, air\, and moisture\, a nd how well-intentioned interventions can sometime s lead to unintended consequences such as damp\, c ondensation\, decay\, and long-term fabric damage. \n \n \n \n Drawing on practical conservation expe rience\, the session will consider the importance of assessing the condition\, materials\, and behav iour of a building before decisions are made. It w ill show how a careful and informed approach can h elp improve comfort\, energy efficiency\, and resi lience while still respecting the character and si gnificance of older buildings.\n \n \n \n Attendee s will come away with a better understanding of th e principles behind sensitive retrofit in traditio nal buildings\, the risks of poorly considered upg rades\, and the value of seeing the building as a complete system rather than a set of separate elem ents. The lecture will be relevant to homeowners\, conservation professionals\, architects\, surveyo rs\, and anyone involved in the care or adaptation of older buildings. There will also be an opportu nity to ask live questions during a Q&A at the end of the session.\n \n \n \n Who is this talk for?\ n \n \n This lecture is aimed at home owners. It w ill help them understanding their building fabric and means to assess it to prepare an upgrade and/o r retrofit strategy.\n \n \n \n You will learn/dis cover\n \n \n • Why traditional buildings shoul d be assessed before retrofit works begin.\n \n • Why insulation must be considered as part of a whole-building approach.\n \n • How traditional buildings manage heat\, air\, and moisture.\n \n • What can go wrong when retrofit measures are poorly planned.\n \n • How to improve comfort a nd energy performance without damaging historic fa bric.\n \n • How better understanding leads to better repair and retrofit decisions.\n \n \n \n I T requirements\n \n \n You will need a computer\, phone or other device with a stable internet conne ction\n \n \n \n Speaker(s)\n \n \n Gissella Renol fi is a Conservation Consultant and Architect with Carrig Conservation International (http://www.car rig.ie). She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Appli ed Building Repair and Conservation from Trinity C ollege Dublin and has worked on a range of signifi cant conservation projects\, including Parnell Squ are Library\, St Patrick’s University Hospital\, a nd Rossmore Mausoleum. Her professional interests include the care\, repair\, and adaptation of hist oric buildings\, and she has also been involved wi th SPAB Ireland as a committee member since 2018.\ n \n \n \n \n \n Accessibility\n \n \n Closed cap tions are available for this talk.\n \n \n \n Supp orted by\n \n \n This event is generously supporte d by The Heritage Council. \n \n \n \n \n All book ings are subject to our Terms and Conditions (http s://www.spab.org.uk/content/booking-terms-and-cond itions).\n \n \n \n Photo credit: Rosemary Kane/ A lamy\n \n CATEGORIES:Talk CALSCALE:GREGORIAN DTSTAMP;TZID=Europe/London:20260714T193000 DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260714T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260714T210000 LOCATION:Online\n United Kingdom\n URL:https://www.spab.org.uk/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=1456 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR