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Historic buildings characterise the appearance of our towns, villages and cultural landscapes. The care and preservation of this treasure have always required an intensive examination of the historic structure and the development of customised solutions. Against this backdrop, energy-related refurbishment measures pose a particular challenge. This calls for solutions that combine traditional knowledge and innovative technologies in the interests of heritage conservation. We look forward to contributing with the expertise of the ICOMOS network in heritage conservation to the development of such customised solutions and strategies in the FuturHist project. 

Appropriate adaptation of historic buildings to climate change will be one of the most significant challenges property managers will face. This is a critical issue in many European cities with many historical buildings. We must take up this challenge if we want these buildings to be inhabited and used. On the one hand, there is a need to reduce the energy demand of these buildings. On the other hand, preserving their historic and historic character is necessary, as it constitutes our European heritage. As a manager of many historic properties, I hope that the FuturHist project will lead to the development of appropriate solutions that will reconcile the above values ​​and develop a methodology that can be replicated and used on a large scale. 

Using natural materials to improve historic buildings’ energy efficiency is a key aspect of promoting environmental sustainability, improving indoor air quality, and reducing emissions. FuturHist aims to develop and test new materials to upgrade the building envelope and living comfort. It prioritises finding optimised solutions to preserve and enhance the historic heritage without affecting its cultural value. Multidisciplinary approaches combined with the use of new technologies, specific analyses, and real-context applications will allow us to understand the limitations and advantages and standardise different valuable interventions.

Historic buildings are a part of Europe’s identity, but living in them can be associated with discomfort and seen as a less favourable alternative to a modern flat. This doesn’t need to be true. FuturHist is as much about working towards an energy transition and a sustainable future as it is about enhancing the comfort of historic building users. We aim to leverage the experience and expertise of conservation practitioners, digital building information, energy modeling tools, and eco-friendly materials to develop and test solutions that can be successfully applied to as large a pool of historic buildings as possible to the benefit of all.