Passivhaus retrofit for King's College London

King’s College London is undertaking a deep retrofit to the Passivhaus retrofit (EnerPHit) standard of one of its historic buildings, Bush House, South West Wing. As universities face growing pressure to decarbonise ageing estates while improving comfort and resilience, Passivhaus is emerging as a practical route to transforming campus buildings at scale. This latest project demonstrates how a fabric-first approach can help reshape the future of educational estates through proven building performance.

Bush House EnerPHit Kings College London AFTER. Image credit KPF

The fabric of the existing eight-storey building and basement is being upgraded to reduce operational carbon, targeting BREEAM Outstanding, WELL Gold, and EnerPHit (Passivhaus retrofit) certification. EnerPHit certification is being achieved via the Component (not Space Heating) route. The project is part of King’s College London’s ‘Strategy 2030’ and ‘2029 Strategic Vision’.

The 1934 former government office is being transformed to provide state-of-the-art educational facilities, a centre for student services, and faculty offices. A new communal space, also known as an Agora, and atrium roof constructed within the existing courtyard. At the heart of the new building is the ‘Agora’, a flexible, 160-seat multi-purpose space designed to support teaching in the round, dialogue, and collaboration.

PHT member Studio PDP is delivery architect and Patron Max Fordham is Passivhaus Consultant on the project. PHT Patron Kier Construction is the contractor on the project, with PHT member AECOM acting as M&E Designer and PHT member BDP as Sustainability Consultant.

Key stats

Construction: Internal wall insulation to existing building
GFA: 13,000 m²
Build start date: 2026
Expected completion: 2027
Certification: Aiming for EnerPHit

Members of Client and Project Team Bush House EnerPHit. Image credit: SOLK photography

The redevelopment of Bush House South West Wing has been designed with the student and staff experience at its core, providing a welcoming, adaptive and innovative space for teaching, learning and socialising. By aligning with our sustainable design and construction framework, the project also supports our aim to reduce environmental impact across the full lifecycle of our buildings - from construction through to occupancy.

Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President, King's College London

Bush House EnerPHit Kings College London/Bush House EnerPHit Kings College London AFTER. Image credit KPF

We’re proud to be partnering with King’s College London on the transformation of its Bush House South West Wing into a world-leading education and learning hub. By applying some of the latest construction techniques, we’re striving to deliver the most sustainable building in higher education.

David Rowsell, Managing Director, Kier Construction London & Thames Valley

Embodied carbon

The project has the ambitious goal of achieving an embodied carbon score of less than 350kgCO₂e/m². Where possible, the historic structure and fabric are retained and reused, with the King’s Agora maximising the structural potential of the existing slab and columns to reduce embodied carbon.

One of the core principles of the Campus Futures Programme is making the most of what we already have across our estate. Our focus is on reusing, adapting and upgrading existing spaces to create a sustainable and thriving campus environment. When we open in 2027, Bush House South West Wing will be the largest EnerPHit-certified refurbishment across the higher education sector in London. This project demonstrates that deep retrofit is possible even within complex urban estates and heritage contexts. It also reinforces the role universities can play as testbeds for innovation, showing how existing buildings can be transformed rather than replaced.

Professor Rachel Mills, Senior Vice President Academic, King's College London

Before	After

Before pictures and proposed after renders. Image credits KPF.

We are thrilled to be leading the delivery of this complex retrofit, applying knowledge gained from similar project typologies alongside the disciplined approach of the EnerPHit component method to achieve a high‑performance, low‑carbon outcome.

Luke Richardson-Brown, Partner, Studio PDP

Key team

Client: King's College London
Architect: KPF Associates/ Studio PDP
Passivhaus Consultant: Max Fordham
Sustainability Consultant: BDP/ Wallace Whittle
Structural engineer: Elliott Wood/ Curtins
Contractor: Kier Construction
M&E consultant: AECOM/ Wallace Whittle
Facade Engineer: Eckersley O’Callaghan
Project Manager: 3PM

As universities and public sector organisations develop long-term estate strategies in response to the climate emergency, projects like this demonstrate the wider potential of Passivhaus principles beyond individual buildings. The opportunity now is to scale this approach across entire campuses and estates, delivering buildings that perform reliably, reduce operational carbon and create healthier environments for future generations. We will watch the development of the Bush House EnerPHit project with interest.

Discover more at the final live session of our 2026 Passivhaus Retrofit Masterclass on 17 June. A must attend event for anyone involved in high-quality retrofit, and especially lessons learned for those working with historic building contexts.

Passivhaus Retrofit Masterclass series