Making deep renovation of historic buildings happen learnings from the Historic Buildings Energy Retrofit Atlas

Abstract

The energy refurbishment of historic buildings is necessary for many reasons, for the preservation and continued use of the buildings themselves, but also to achieve a very much needed reduction of GHG emissions. Good examples of such refurbishments show that the conflicting demands between respecting and protecting the heritage significance and achieving high levels of energy efficiency can be met. The case studies documented in the Historic Building Atlas HiBERatlas are used to examine which influencing factors are responsible for the success. This database is one of the main outcomes of the research projects Interreg AS ATLAS and IEA SHC Task 59 to provide a solid knowledge base on deep renovation of historic buildings and includes so far a broad range of about 50 different case studies published. The case studies presented here as examples were carried out under different framework conditions: as part of a research project, with public financial support or with a committed and experienced planning team operating in an integrated design process. It will be assessed how professional preliminary research, ambitious objectives, and the access to technical solutions can affect the results. Finally, the paper will highlight findings of post occupancy evaluations and lessons learned.