RETROFITTING
led retrofit programme has never been stronger. Our approach centres on providing healthcare estates
the freedom to choose the expertise and solutions that best suit each project. By championing open, interoperable systems, it can help make collaboration with a wide range of specialists easier, reduce project risk, and ensure a seamless transition from legacy infrastructure to future ready platforms. This partnership centric model delivers the agility,
continuity, and long-term adaptability essential for upgrading buildings that must remain operational throughout the process. Retrofitting is not a compromise but a strategic investment in the future of commercial property. While legacy systems create unnecessary complexity, cost, and vulnerability, modern cloud enabled, open standard controls provide unified, adaptable networks that can evolve with tomorrow’s technology. As the UK moves rapidly toward a low carbon, digitally driven built environment, retrofitting will determine which buildings remain competitive and relevant.
References 1
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demolition- and-redevelopment-or-retrofit-research-report
Infection prevention protocols must be considered at all stages of a retrofit programme.
Net Zero trajectories and reporting expectations. Target measures that reduce operational energy intensity while maintaining clinical performance.
What gets in the way and how to overcome it Healthcare retrofit programmes often need to be delivered within a set of well understood constraints: live environment constraints and infection prevention protocols;18
2
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/607725/ Naylor_review.pdf
3
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised- ventilation-for-healthcare-buildings/
4
https://insights.acuitybrands.com/distech-controls-project- references-blog/st-columbas-school-kilmacolm-uk
5
https://www.cibsejournal.com/technical/back-in-control- how-bms-optimisation-saved-171000-in-nine-months/
the complexity of multi-generational control
Darryl Gregory
Darryl Gregory is vice president of sales, EMEA at Distech Controls, part of Acuity Brands’ Intelligent Spaces Group, where he leads sales strategy and execution across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. With nearly 25 years in building automation and controls and BMS sector, he is known for delivering sustained commercial growth. Prior to joining Distech Controls, Darryl spent 18+ years at Honeywell in senior UK/I and Northern Europe sales leadership roles.
systems; competing capital priorities; skills gaps in specifying and maintaining modern digital systems; and the challenge of aligning estates upgrades with IT security governance.19 The good news is that a modern retrofit strategy addresses these concerns directly. Phased delivery models allow investment to be staged. Robust data platforms make business cases for further spend straightforward to construct and defend. And collaborative delivery approaches that bring together estates, IT, clinical leadership, and specialist partners reduce the risk of siloed decision-making that can undermine outcomes. Open-protocol environments are particularly important
here. They can reduce dependency on any single vendor’s roadmap, allow systems to be upgraded in stages, and make it easier to integrate technologies over time. In complex healthcare environments, where clinical needs evolve continuously and systems must adapt to match, that flexibility is not a luxury. It is a requirement.
Retrofit is not a compromise The framing of retrofitting as an alternative to new build is the reality of NHS estate management. For most Trusts, retrofitting is not just a more affordable option, it is a realistic one. The buildings the NHS relies on today will still be here in 2040, and an effective way to ensure they are performing as they should is to invest in the intelligence that runs them. With Net Zero targets setting a clear timeline,
HTM 03-01 establishing clinical performance expectations, and cyber resilience becoming a baseline requirement,20,21
the case for a co-ordinated, outcomes- 96 Health Estate Journal September 2026
6
https://www.fmj.co.uk/expert-insight-nhs-estates-teams- struggle-with-maintenance-backlog-as-fragmented-asset-data- risks-patient-safety/
7
https://betterbuildingssolutioncenter.energy.gov/sites/ default/files/building_fault_detection_and_diagnostic-paper. pdf
8
https://healthcare-property.com/features/getting-smart-with- hospital-maintenance/
9
https://www.buildingbetterhealthcare.com/
index.php/ healthcare-estates-shift-from-reactive-maintenance-to-data
10
https://digital.nhs.uk/services/networks-and-connectivity- centre-of-excellence/connectivity-hub/advice-and-guidance/ smart-theatres/smart-theatres
11
https://transform.england.nhs.uk/key-tools-and-info/digital- technology-assessment-criteria-dtac/
12
https://digital.nhs.uk/cyber-and-data-security/guidance- and-assurance/guidance-on-protecting-connected-medical- devices
13
https://www.cibsejournal.com/cpd/modules/2026-01- rsaeb/
14
https://ez.analog.com/ez-blogs/b/engineerzone-spotlight/ posts/how-old-wires-are-bring-new-efficiencies-to-building- retrofits
15
https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/a-net-zero-nhs/ 16 Back in control: making savings with BMS optimisation - CIBSE Journal
17
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09613218.2 017.1411130
18
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/infection-control-in- the-built-environment-hbn-00-09/
19
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/607725/ Naylor_review.pdf
20
https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/a-net-zero-nhs/ 21
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/specialised- ventilation-for-healthcare-buildings/
AdobeStock / Svitlana
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136
