NooKo at the RIBA Exeter Retrofit Conference

Max Sayers and George Kay represented NooKo at Renew, Reuse, Retrofit, the RIBA Exeter branch conference held at Reed Hall on Thursday 1 October 2026.

The day brought together professionals from across the built environment for talks and discussion on the future of retrofit and sustainable development. Max and George spoke alongside Anne North, Nicola Fox and Jeremy Mears of AtkinsRéalis, Nick Bishop of Avalon Planning and Heritage, James Fortune of Dartmoor Energy, Dan Kelly of The Retrofit Company and Claire Fear of A Thread Studio.

NooKo’s session drew on Paternoster House: the conversion of Exeter’s first department store into 29 apartments and 9,000 sq ft of commercial space, now home to Vyve and Søstrene Grene, and winner of Heritage Project of the Year at the Michelmores Property Awards 2025.

Retrofit sits at the centre of what we do. Giving new life to a building that already exists keeps its embodied carbon in place and keeps a piece of the city’s story standing. The same thinking is now being applied to the Royal Clarence on Cathedral Green.

Thank you to Kayleigh Avey and the RIBA Exeter branch for organising the day and for inviting us to speak, and to the event sponsors, EH Smith and Avalon Planning and Heritage.

Photo: RIBA Exeter