We’re material-science-led and fabric-first. That means we don’t start with a kit list — a heat pump here, some solar there. We start with the building: what it’s made of, how it behaves, and what it actually needs. The sequence matters more than the shopping list.
Every recommendation comes back to one question: why should we put this in? The answer is the material, the way it performs, and the cost of it over decades. Not because it’s fashionable, not because it’s “green.” Vapour-open insulation, airtightness, high-performance glazing, non-toxic finishes — chosen for what they do to the fabric.
Get the materials right and the building starts to behave: it holds heat, manages moisture, breathes properly, stays stable through the seasons. Most buildings rely on mechanical systems to correct problems the building itself creates. We’d rather not create the problem in the first place.
A home that behaves well is a home that’s comfortable, cheap to run, quiet, and built to last. Better sleep, cleaner air and a steady indoor environment aren’t the pitch — they’re what you get when the first two steps are done properly.
Reduce the environmental load at source — through the fabric — before you reach for machinery. Vapour-open insulation, airtightness, the right glazing, finishes that don’t off-gas. Only then do you add MVHR, a heat pump, the lighting, the water.
A worked example: on a Victorian terrace I’ll often specify a vapour-open clay or lime render internally, in place of standard plaster. Not because it looks the part — because it absorbs and releases moisture from the room as conditions change, protects the underlying fabric over decades, and keeps the indoor environment stable. That’s the discipline: a reason behind every material, and the materials in the right order.
Green Agent assembles and leads a bespoke team around each property. I own the strategic direction and the material-science overview; the specialist work is delivered by the people best suited to that particular building.
Architect
Structural surveyors and building control
Surveying
As the project requires
“There’s always a bit of an economic sensibility to my voice.”
Every material decision is backed by material science and by commercial logic — never by green virtue. If a recommendation can’t answer “why should we put this in?” with the building and the numbers, it doesn’t go in. That’s the difference between hiring a practitioner and hiring an evangelist.
A scoped review of a single property. I coordinate a curated team of named specialists — architect, structural surveyors, building control, party wall, quantity surveyors, as the building requires. You get a clear retrofit pathway, the energy and carbon performance modelling, the economic case, and the recommended team to take it forward. I own the strategic overview and the material direction; the technical inputs come from the specialists best suited to the property. Quoted project-by-project, against the scope and the team it needs.
End-to-end leadership of the retrofit — assembling and leading the team, managing planning, managing construction, and integrating the material specification, the sustainability strategy, the design, the health outcomes and the economics into one coherent project. I’m the constant; the team around me changes by project.
For owners of more than one property. Long-view planning, lifecycle thinking, and an all-in approach that folds energy savings into the investment maths from the start, rather than treating them as an afterthought.
Tell me about your property and what’s prompting you to think about retrofit. I’ll reply within 48 hours.
Or email duncan@mygreenagent.co.uk directly.