Retrofitt

Accelerated energy renovation

With prefabricated façades and roofs, Retrofitt rapidly transforms outdated houses into energy-neutral buildings.

Renovating to reduce consumption
To achieve our climate goals, it’s not enough to build better – we also need to renovate faster and more efficiently. That’s exactly the mission of Retrofitt, the division of BuildUp specializing in large-scale energy renovations of existing buildings. Inspired by the Dutch EnergieSprong approach, Retrofitt tackles things radically differently: entire homes are insulated from the outside and made energy-neutral within just a few days. 

An insulating jacket from the factory
The insulating façade and roof elements are custom-designed and produced in the BuildUp factory in Aarschot. They include not only insulation and façade finishing, but also windows, doors, and sometimes even systems like ventilation or solar panels. Once ready, they are delivered to the site and quickly installed with a crane. This off-site approach results in less waste, shorter construction times, and reduced disruption – and also addresses the severe shortage of skilled labor in the sector. Retrofitt also uses recyclable and bio-based materials, significantly lowering the ecological footprint.

Wattrelos: 160 homes renovated, one per day
The effectiveness of the Retrofitt approach is demonstrated by the project in Wattrelos, near Lille. There, 160 social housing units from the 1960s were renovated to nearly energy-neutral homes in collaboration with housing association Vilogia. The works lasted only ten months, with an impressive pace of one fully renovated home per day. This project proves that large-scale energy renovations are achievable, with minimal inconvenience for residents and the neighborhood.