THE ENERGY FUTURE OF EXISTING BUILDINGS IN BRUSSELS: BETWEEN PRESERVATION AND PERFORMANCE

We also have a site in Brussels, with a conference centre close to the Gare du Midi/Zuidstation train station. We will soon be moving to a new a site close to Tour & Taxis, in the canal zone. The Renovation Laboratory, among others, will be situated there.

THE MISSION OFTHE RENOVATION LABORATORY

This laboratory specialises in damp problems in buildings and how to treat them. It also deals with work on building façades: cleaning, restoration, water-repellent protections, etc. It develops new activities relating to energy renovation which, in the current climate, are becoming essential.

Two presentations (pp. 76-83 and pp. 86-93), relating to the housing blocks are relevant to this article. We are currently running a project that involves the collection of all European experience regarding energy renovation of façades carried outwith pre-fabricated panels. These panels have the advantage of being usable while the buildings are occupied. Standardised, they enable economies of scale to be achieved. Adaptations are of course possible, but the buildings involved in this project are not listed. Nevertheless, this type of solution could be envisaged for garden cities or buildings that are duplicated. Ultimately, we are increasingly moving towards energy efficiency, even in heritage buildings. The programme presented below stems from this observation.

THE TEAM

The BBRI has a reputation for being particularly interested in new buildings. However, the Renovation Laboratory team is made up of people who are trained in heritage conservation. Two of us have studied at the Centre Raymond Lemaire. My colleague Michael de Bouw completed a doctoral thesis on the “Model Schools (1860-1920)” in Brussels. He is also a member of the Vlaamse Commissie Onroerend Erfgoed. Samuel Dubois, who joined the team recently, deals with energy simulation. We therefore endeavour to have a team that enables all aspects of heritage and energy to be reconciled. We are also building partnerships: we give classes in various institutes and universities; and cooperate with most of the large universities and research centres in Belgium (including the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage), in Europe and further afield.

ENERGY ADVISORS SPECIALISING IN HERITAGE OR HERITAGE ADVISORS SPECIALISING IN ENERGY?

This project is aimed at training energy advisors specialising in heritage or heritage advisors specialising in energy. The principle is that one individual should possess both sets of these skills.

The current environment we are working in is well known: the regulations are becoming more complex and restrictive and efforts are increasing being expended in trying to achieve the required energy efficiency. In fact, the heritage value of buildings is often not taken into account, a value that cannot always be reconciled with the primary motivation of achieving energy efficiency. However, it should be noted thatsuch buildings generally make up only a tiny portion of the stock to be renovated. As a result, from the point of view of overall energy efficiency and savings in energy and greenhouse gas emissions, it would be possible to not take them into account. However, such an approach would not be satisfactory. What is important is how these buildings are used: if we do not intervene, they will become too expensive to be used, comfort standards will not be satisfied and we run the risk of having empty buildings which are not maintained. It is principally for this reason that we are trying to reconcile the two aspects of heritage and energy.

Improving the energy efficiency of listed buildings or high heritage value buildings is not yet commonplace. There are several reasons for this: on the one hand, the fact that the Energy Performance of Buildings(EPB) regulation does not apply to such buildings and, on the other, the difficulties encountered in trying to reconcile the heritage and energy efficiency agendas. Finally, whether any unforeseen negative consequences might arise from such interventions is as yet unknown. Nevertheless, the EPB regulation may constitute an opportunity. It is important for consideration to be given to it in order to reduce greenhouse gases - even if the biggest savings will not be achieved on this type of construction - and, above all, to improve the comfort and interior climatic conditions of such buildings.

One of the strengths of our project is its global approach to the building. The heritage value is the factor that will determine the limits of any intervention. It is inside such buildings that we will attempt to reduce energy consumption, while endeavouring to minimise the risks to the building itself. For

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