ONLINE BRUSSELS HERITAGE - ONE-DAY SEMINAR - 11/12/2014

ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE AND ENERGY PERFORMANCE: COMPATIBILITY CHALLENGES?

MANJAVANHAELEN
MONUMENTS AND SITES DEPARTMENT

THIS ARTICLE COMPRISES AN OVERVIEW OF THE ISSUES WITH WHICH THE MONUMENTS AND SITES DEPARTMENT IN PARTICULAR, AND THE HERITAGE SECTOR IN GENERAL, ARE CURRENTLY CONFRONTED WHEN APPLYING LEGISLATION REGARDING THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF BUILDINGS.

With recent advances in the battle to reduce CO2 emissions and improve the energy efficiency of buildings, the heritage sector has been Looking for a new way to deal with architectural heritage within that context. The assumption that heritage and energy performance are placed in direct opposition may seem Like something of a caricature; in many building dossiers, the applications we are confronted with in reality sadly do resemble this harsh depiction of two sides performing contradictory actions on each other's terrain.

THE TASK OF THE HERITAGE CONSERVATOR

Let us first take a closer look at the role of the heritage conservationist. Essentially, the heritage conservationist is charged with preserving heritage; he or she ensures that buildings, as expressions of an architectural past, of culture and of savoirfaire, are preserved. This includes preservation of materials from the past, monuments and their valuable aspects and facets such as decorations, details, materials, techniques, architecture from the various construction periods (from Gothic to Renaissance and Eclecticism to the late Modernism of the 1950s and 1960s), and the preservation of expression, concept and urban design context. In this way, monuments are passed on to future generations as witnesses of history, culture, science and knowledge.

Heritage conservationists guide monuments towards their future while battling against natural erosion and the ageing of buildings, damage caused by natural disasters, wars or even previous restoration attempts. They also strive to guide the monuments through the heritage renewal, through renovations, new allocations, adaptations to styles, flavours, comfort requirements and of course the energy performance improvement requirements. Exactly what is deemed valuable depends on the monument. Sometimes it is a unique expression, sometimes it is the old material with a unique historical testimony, sometimes it is the concept or idea behind the building rather than the materials.

The heritage conservationist's task is supported by a theoretical framework based on the 1964 Venice Charter. The legislation in use and under development today also stems from this charter. The two cornerstones of this restoration philosophy are as follows. Firstly a good knowledge of the monument is imperative; this highlights the importance of thorough research prior to any intervention, both historical and technical as well as any other research. This allows us to recognise what is truly valuable and make a decision on how to intervene or not. The second cornerstone is respecting a hierarchy in the intervention. Maintenance must always be the top priority. If maintenance alone does not prove sufficient, restoration and repairs are embarked

16 | Architectural heritage and energy performance