‘Future-proofing Edinburgh’s cultural buildings’ event reflection

Who were our speakers?

• Karen Ridgewell, Creative Scotland’s Climate Emergency & Sustainability Lead.
• Joanne McClelland and Aythan Lewes, Directors of EALA Impacts, a not-for-profit architecture and building surveying practice based in Leith. Joanne is a conservation accredited architect and Aythan is a chartered building surveyor.
• Kate Wimpress, Director of North Edinburgh Arts (NEA). NEA has just opened its new community-centered, sustainably-built building in the north of Edinburgh.
• Nathan Goodfriend, a Net Zero Consultant from the Energy Saving Trust (EST). EST manages Business Energy Scotland, one of the Scottish Government’s main ways of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises to decarbonise.
• Julie Waldron, Climate Partnership Manager at the City of Edinburgh Council, driving Edinburgh’s 2030 climate strategy. Julie was joined by Victoria Scruton and Fiona Macleod from the climate team.

What did the panel discuss?

‘How do we future-proof Edinburgh’s cultural buildings so that they are ready for net zero and resilient to the changing climate?’

The panel’s discussion of this question aimed to inform and inspire the attendees before they split into groups to deep dive into the topic.

• Karen Ridgewell described an ongoing research project to articulate, highlight and eventually platform the challenge facing the sector’s estate to achieve net zero. The research, which is yet to be released, highlights five key barriers to achieving net-zero readiness:
  • A knowledge and financial resource gap
  • Lack of funding committed to infrastructure
  • Heritage – to achieve improvements in energy efficiency, fabric-first measures can be in direct conflict with heritage requirements
  • Need for realistic simple solutions
  • Tenure – different ownership and management of buildings and the different responsibilities and opportunities that arise from this.
• Jo and Aythan from EALA Impacts argued for cultural organisations becoming the centre of thriving, citizen-led, circular and regenerative communities so they can lead on creating a society that prioritises caring, sharing and repairing. They advocated for organisations thinking about action beyond the boundary of the building and aligning their plans to their community.
• When it comes to practical changes, Jo and Aythan suggested that organisations start with changing the building use before making changes to the building itself, aligning the business model to the building you are in – for example, use the uninsulated, cold rooms for a ceilidh. If building work is required, it can be combined to make it more efficient – for example, repointing walls at the same time as repairing the roof so scaffold is only erected (and paid for) once. Additionally, budgeting for maintenance from the outset is important to prolong the life of the building.
• Kate Wimpress emphasised the importance of understanding place and providing for the community. In redevelopment for over five years, the new North Edinburgh Arts building officially opened in June 2025. Kate explained how being in an area of multiple deprivation makes the building even more important. As a community-owned space, much of the decision making is made by the people using it. As a result, it’s been built to work better for more of the things that the community needs: a multi-purpose hub for everyone in the local area. While the building itself is also sustainable, the focus on the building’s use is its most defining feature.
• Nathan Goodfriend advised the group on getting the funding needed to improve buildings. He explained that demonstrating how much money can be saved by an action is important for funding applications. He emphasised placing the building in the context of the whole organisation and its community.
• Finally, Julie Waldron contextualised this discussion within the bigger picture of the City of Edinburgh Council’s long-term plans and highlighted that new guidance on listed buildings will be published in September 2025. Her key message was that collaboration is key! The council is always open to working in partnership where possible, so reach out and see what you can do together.

After the panel discussion, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions, many of which were about the council’s 2030 targets and what additional support is available. Some interesting, additional points came out of other questions:

• A lot of funding is very specific. With a holistic plan, organisations can be prepared to apply for these specialised pots of money as and when they become available.
• Work across community and attach your plans to other initiatives where possible – the wider you go, the better the solution could be.
• Don’t rush toward arbitrary targets – we need to make sure the transition is fair and just.

What actions did the attendees suggest?

The attendees then split into groups to focus on solutions to the challenges they are facing in decarbonising and adapting their buildings. It was clear that everyone wanted actions out of this session, so here’s a selection of suggested next steps that participants reported from their groups:

• Writing a joint letter to the Scottish Government explaining the need for funding for repair, maintenance and improvement plans.
• Signposting for organisations and funders – organisations need to know where to get funding and funders need to understand what to fund.
• Using clear and positive social media messaging to communicate what is happening.
• Meeting more regularly.
• Sharing methods through case studies.
• Advocating for faster grid decarbonisation.
• Understanding the importance of maintaining buildings – lobbying for maintenance funding, educating building managers about maintenance and ‘payback’ calculations (working out how long it takes for building work or installations to pay back their cost through savings – commonly associated with renewable energy installation).
• Collaborating with organisations with similar buildings to reduce total workload.

Now comes the challenging bit – taking the actions. Culture for Climate Scotland has committed to working with the City of Edinburgh Council to explore making these sessions more regular and sharing actions taken within the sector as case studies.

What actions are you taking? Let us know so we can platform the great work that is being done and influence others to take the first steps.

Partners

Thanks to all our speakers for their contributions to this session and to the City of Edinburgh Council for funding this event as part of our annual support to Edinburgh’s cultural organisations to decarbonise and adapt to the changing climate. The space at the Assembly Rooms was provided for free. Thank you to the team at the Assembly Rooms for accommodating us.

If you are a local authority that would like to run a similar event with organisations in your area, please get in touch with Matthew Belsey – [email protected].

Further resources

• Local Energy Scotland’s funding (CARES, Community Buildings Fund)
• Museum and Galleries Scotland Repair and Adaptation Fund
• National Lottery Heritage Fund
• Historic Environment Scotland’s grants and funding
• Culture for Climate Scotland’s guides
• City of Edinburgh Council climate resources
• Historic Environment Scotland resources
• Historic Environment Scotland’s guide to energy retrofit of traditional buildings
• Business Energy Scotland

If you are a cultural organisation, join our Green Arts Initiative for direct support on topics covered in this article.

If you are a cultural organisation taking action on your building, sign our Green Arts Charter to publicly declare your action.

Relevant case studies

• Awel Aman Tawe – an organisation running renewable energy generation alongside an arts and education programme.
• Cumbernauld Theatre – a low-carbon cultural centre that works with and for the community.
• Clyde Rebuilt – a project that brought together local authorities, community groups, civic society organisations, businesses and government agencies to change the way the Clyde region works together on climate adaptation.