Residents in four of Aberdeen’s listed high rises could benefit from significant work to make homes more energy efficient.
The Scottish Greens have pledged to upgrade flats in the A-listed Seamount and Porthill Courts in Gallowgate and Marischal and Virginia Courts in Castlehill.
Their promise, which also covers Hutcheon and Greig Courts, off George Street, would only be delivered if they have a stake in the control of the local authority after the election on May 5, however.
Controversy over Aberdeen’s listed high rises
The Gallowgate and Castlehill blocks, along with Gilcomstoun Land, were controversially given Historic Environment Scotland’s highest protections as examples of post-war “brutalist” social housing.
Aberdeen City Council successfully appealed the listing of three other towers, including the George Street pair, though officials had aimed to free all eight from the heritage quango’s constraints.
The listing was the latest recognition for more modern Scottish architecture that had already seen Edinburgh’s Banana Flats – made famous by the film Trainspotting – awarded A-listing.
Seamount Court, one of those A-listed in Aberdeen, was recently used as the brutalist backdrop for the Soviet-era Jon S. Baird movie, Tetris.
Despite the protections, Green candidate for George Street and Harbour, Guy Ingerson, has revealed his party would aim to make the council retrofit the six blocks to the so-called gold standard of energy efficiency ratings.
They are all in his prospective ward – thought to be the party’s best chance at a seat on Aberdeen City Council this year – while the equally-listed Gilcomstoun Land, which lies outside, is not included in the promise.
Retrofitting is a green measure Mr Ingerson claims is needed “now more than ever” as the cost of heating homes rises significantly.
He said: “The listing status of the tower blocks doesn’t need to be a barrier to retrofitting.
“The council can explore and apply for funds that could allow this work to take place.
“If we can get some of these buildings up to Passivhaus standards, I believe it would make a big difference to residents’ standard of living.
“Through protecting the environment with sustainable buildings, we can improve people’s lives as well.”
Aberdeen high rises could be retrofitted to very highest energy efficiency standards
Passivehaus is a rating bestowed on buildings with rigorous energy efficiency standards, meaning they can maintain almost a constant temperature – vastly reducing the need to heat them.
The Scottish Government, led by the SNP and the Greens, recently published a heat in buildings strategy.
Ministers committed to spend £1.8 billion by 2026 on energy efficiency and zero carbon heating.
And that funding is one of the ways Mr Ingerson claims Aberdeen City Council could make life better for its high rise residents.
The promise comes only months after three of Glasgow’s most recognisable tower blocks at Cedar Court won a major UK architecture award for their energy efficient refurbishment.
Residents have reportedly gone years without touching the thermostat after the green upgrades.
Mr Ingerson added: “We know how much people are suffering from rising bills, our aim is to reduce this pressure.
“By retrofitting these tower blocks, we could massively reduce the costs residents are having to pay, as well as meet our environmental goals.
“We’ve seen it done in Glasgow and I see no reason that we couldn’t do the same in Aberdeen.”
