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

The management plan, drawn up for the Le Logis and Floréal garden cities and approved by the Brussels Government, contains 13 volumes: seven textbooks (T00 to T06); six books containing drawings (P01 to P20); and four large overview plans of the neighbourhoods.

T00: Management plan manual

T01: Table of the listed houses

T02: Technical provisions

T03: Research reports

T04: Unity in diversity

T05: Adaptations to the current needs

T06: Inventory - instructions

P01: Catalogue of local heritage

P02: Construction details

P03: Theme maps

P04: A4 documents from plans P11, P12, P13, P21

P10: House types, Le Logis

P20: House types, Floréal P11, P12, P13, P21: Built-up areas of the houses in the neighbourhoods

These documents form one whole, as do the garden cities themselves. They refer to each other and thus themselves describe the principle of “unity in diversity, diversity in unity”. The volumes detailing types of houses (P10 and P20), for example, show which windows are present in a certain type of house. The catalogue for local heritage (P01) shows these windows and refers to the details from which the windows have been constructed. The construction details (P02) show these details, etc. The texts and drawings describe both the original and present condition as well as which adaptations are permitted. This is how the management plan works: it is based on an interaction between the various volumes, so readers will know (starting from the specifications and detailed plans) which specific works are permitted in any specific place, and at whichever scale: house, element, detail, etc.

ADAPTATIONS TO THE CURRENT NEEDS WITH REGARD TO INTERIOR CLIMATE AND ENERGY

Volume T05 highlights how the permitted works seek meet the current needs regarding energy, comfort, acoustics and safety. It forms connections between those themes and also points out certain contradictions between the objectives of these various themes to the owners. In volume T05, the relevant application of certain works is explained. The management plan expects and requires:

• priorities to be determined according to the funds available;

• the works to be executed in the correct order;

• a realisation that gains in a certain area can mean losses in another area;

• choices to be made which are adapted to the specific house a person is living in and envisaging the house after the works have been completed;

• that the potential energy savings resulting from simple and small habits and improvements compared to those requiring large investments should not be underestimated.

The origin of the energy section of the management plan

The measures in the management plan regarding comfort in interior climate and energy performance cannot be separated from a development in legislation and studies which preceded the final approval of the management plan.

• Energy Performance and Indoor climate (EPB) 12/12/2002: European Directive 21/12/2007: Government decision of the Brussels-Capital Region regarding EPB 19/05/2010: Adaptation European Directive 21/02/2013: Amendment by the Brussels-Capital Region regarding EPB

• Centre d'Étude et de Recherche et d'Action en Architecture (CERAA) 2009-2011: Audit énergétique des maisons classées des cités jardins Le Logis et Floréal

• Atelier parisien d'urbanisme (APUR) 2013: Amélioration des performances énergétiques du bâti ancien de la Région Bruxelles Capitale. Study requested by the Brussels-Capital Region

• CENERGIE April-May 2014: Energy audit of two Le Logis houses (as described in the management plan) in compliance with the energy and comfort measures provided in the Heritage Management Plan The energy study and audit performed by CERAA in 2009-2011 used the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) standard as a starting point to examine whether or not it could be reconciled with the heritage and global³ budget planning. This was not the case, and it remained difficult to decide which measures should take precedence in a joint heritage and energy policy, and which would be both technically and financially (in terms of both financing and subsidies) sustainable for the entire neighbourhood.

Dealing with the aspect of energy savings in a purely performance-based manner or using standard solutions for energy savings is not feasible: the design of the garden city, its occupancy, its history and its fame are aspects of sustainability. For the energy transition in Le Logis-Floréal, the proposed solutions must take all criteria relating to the conservation of the heritage into account. These residences were originally fitted with numerous devices and

40 | The listed houses of the Le Logis and Floréal garden cities