A highlight of our project meeting in Kraków was the press conference on energy renovation of historic buildings held on May 9, 2025, which brought together representatives from the City of Kraków, the Cracow University of Technology, and the FuturHist team. During the event, city and university officials emphasized the importance of engaging in projects like FuturHist. They highlighted the potential benefits for the city, particularly in advancing the research and implementation of retrofitting historic buildings. Kraków is host to the FuturHist demonstration site, the terraced tenement house at Kościuszki 18. Read more about this demonstrator.
Kraków is proud of its vast UNESCO-listed heritage. We have over 3,000 historic tenement houses that are a vital part of our city’s identity. As a modern European city, we aim to address the challenges of the climate crisis. That’s why we’re engaged in a project that will help improve the energy efficiency of our historic buildings
Maria Klaman, Deputy Mayor of Kraków
Until recently, it was commonly believed that historic buildings could not undergo energy upgrades. We couldn’t imagine insulating them with polystyrene – it’s simply not an option. That’s why in FuturHist, we’re testing alternative technologies and solutions tailored to their unique character.
Professor Andrzej Szarata, Rector of the Cracow University of Technology
Our team members presented project details. Kinga Racoń-Leja from the Cracow University of Technology; Marcin Paradyż from the Municipal Buildings Authority in Kraków; and Daniel Herrera, project coordinator from Eurac Research in Bolzano. Each spoke from the perspective of their role in the project. Outlining their current work and responsibilities and providing insights into how their expertise contributes to implementing FuturHist. The central topic was the energy renovation of historic buildings. How to approach it sustainably, affordably, and on a scalable level.
We are not only compatible with the heritage aspects of the building, but also we have the sustainable solutions. We are working on solutions that include lime, clay, and biochar, renovation of the existing windows without replacing them, and integration of HVAC heating, cooling and ventilation systems.
Daniel Herrera, FuturHist project coordinator from Eurac Research
As the Municipal Buildings Authority, we manage over 500 buildings across Kraków. More than 40% of these are subject to heritage protection. That is why our participation in the FuturHist is so important to us. We are strongly committed to finding ways to modernise these protected buildings and reduce their energy demand – buildings for which our city is renowned and which we must take care of.
We need to modernise these buildings not only for their heritage values but also to ensure that they are places where people want to live and that living in such buildings remains affordable.
Marcin Paradyż, Director of the Municipal Buildings Authority in Kraków
Photo: Magdalena Niezabitowska-Krogulec, Ewelina Pękała / the Sendzimir Foundation
Media coverage of the event:
Watch the press conference coverage on Krakow.pl (only in Polish)
TVP3 Kraków press conference coverage (from 16:40 min, only in Polish) Watch here
