VIVO completes decarbonisation retrofit pilot at RAF St Mawgan, cutting cost and delivery time

VIVO Defence Services has completed a pioneering decarbonisation retrofit, demonstrating that ageing military accommodation can be modernised in less than half the time and at around a third of the cost of a comparable new-build project.

In 2024, RAF St Mawgan faced a shortage of single living accommodation (SLA), and the 50-year-old Baker Block no longer met the performance standards needed to support the government’s energy efficiency ambitions. The site was selected for a feasibility project to assess whether refurbishing an ageing SLA block could help meet energy efficiency targets more quickly and at a lower cost than a demolition-and-newbuild approach.

In just 12 months, the block was transformed into modern, energy-efficient living space, delivering high-quality accommodation at a cost of approximately 30% of a typical new-build solution. The completed refurbishment has substantially improved energy performance, exceeded its energy efficiency targets and delivered a net-zero carbon building, providing a model for the sustainable modernisation of similar accommodation across the Defence estate.

Works comprised solar PV, solar thermal, and air-source heat pump installations alongside building fabric upgrades, including 300mm insulation, triple-glazed windows, and heat recovery systems. The refurbishment reduced Baker Block’s Energy Use Intensity (EUI) from around 150 kWh/m² to 33.2 kWh/m², comfortably exceeding the project’s target of 35 kWh/m², and the building now operates with a net zero carbon footprint. The project also achieved a Defence Related Environmental Assessment Methodology (DREAM) “Very Good” rating, the MOD’s holistic framework for managing the environmental impact of built environment projects.

Kris Hastings, Operations Director at VIVO Defence Services, said: “This project shows what’s possible when we rethink how we invest in the Defence estate. Rather than replacing existing buildings, we’ve demonstrated that refurbishment can deliver high-quality accommodation more quickly, more sustainably, and at significantly lower cost. It’s a practical example of how we can improve the lived experience of service personnel while supporting the MOD’s long-term sustainability ambitions. We’re proud to have delivered a project that not only improves accommodation for today’s service personnel, but also provides a blueprint for how similar buildings across the Defence estate could be modernised in the future.”

For the UK Defence Supply Chain

With a proven retrofit model now outperforming new-build on both cost and speed, this project points to a growing pipeline of similar refurbishment work across the Defence estate’s ageing SLA stock — creating recurring opportunity for contractors and specialist SMEs in retrofit-focused disciplines such as solar PV and thermal installation, air-source heat pumps, high-performance insulation, glazing, and heat recovery systems; suppliers and installers active in these areas, and able to evidence delivery against DREAM environmental standards, are well placed to benefit as the MOD looks to scale this “retrofit-first” approach across comparable accommodation blocks.

Image: Used with permission of Vivo Defence Services