Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HeriTACE (Future-proofing Heritage Buildings by Optimising Comfort and Energy in Time and Space)
Période du rapport: 2024-01-01 au 2025-06-30
The transition to climate neutrality is particularly challenging for historical cities throughout Europe, wishing to safeguard their cultural heritage while future-proofing it for a sustainable energy future. HeriTACE is developing tools allowing authorities and designers to navigate this delicate balance, in order to accelerate the rate of holistic deep energy renovations of heritage buildings.
The heritage buildings in focus are historical townhouses, located in historical neighbourhoods, that represent 1 up to 10% of the building stock in the partner countries: Belgium, Italy, Estonia and Norway, and are widespread in historical cities throughout de EU.
HeriTACE introduces a holistic and multi-scale renovation approach for heritage townhouses. It accounts for a holistic set of criteria - including heritage value, energy, durability, sustainability, building user perspectives, indoor environmental quality and costs - and optimises the integration of energy-efficient solutions at the scale of the building elements, the building and neighbourhood.
The renovation approach is supported by the development of innovative technical solutions for the renovation of heritage townhouses. We create durable insulation and airtightness solutions compatible with traditional techniques, implement smart and energy-efficient heating, ventilation and cooling systems that ensure comfort and indoor air quality exactly where and when the building users need it, and we integrate renewable and residual energy supply solutions to maximize the local clean energy use in the building and neighbourhood.
To realise this, the HeriTACE project brought together a transdisciplinary team of universities and research institutes, public authorities, SMEs and industry experienced in the design, technology and policymaking in the domains of conservation, buildings and energy. By aligning with the EU Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus, the project seeks to achieve up to 60% primary energy savings and prepare the building for a sustainable and fossil-free energy future, improve indoor comfort, decrease construction waste and increase the cost effectiveness of the renovation, while preserving the building historical and cultural heritage value.
The heritage buildings in focus are historical townhouses, located in historical neighbourhoods, that represent 1 up to 10% of the building stock in the partner countries: Belgium, Italy, Estonia and Norway, and are widespread in historical cities throughout de EU.
HeriTACE introduces a holistic and multi-scale renovation approach for heritage townhouses. It accounts for a holistic set of criteria - including heritage value, energy, durability, sustainability, building user perspectives, indoor environmental quality and costs - and optimises the integration of energy-efficient solutions at the scale of the building elements, the building and neighbourhood.
The renovation approach is supported by the development of innovative technical solutions for the renovation of heritage townhouses. We create durable insulation and airtightness solutions compatible with traditional techniques, implement smart and energy-efficient heating, ventilation and cooling systems that ensure comfort and indoor air quality exactly where and when the building users need it, and we integrate renewable and residual energy supply solutions to maximize the local clean energy use in the building and neighbourhood.
To realise this, the HeriTACE project brought together a transdisciplinary team of universities and research institutes, public authorities, SMEs and industry experienced in the design, technology and policymaking in the domains of conservation, buildings and energy. By aligning with the EU Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus, the project seeks to achieve up to 60% primary energy savings and prepare the building for a sustainable and fossil-free energy future, improve indoor comfort, decrease construction waste and increase the cost effectiveness of the renovation, while preserving the building historical and cultural heritage value.
Initiation of the development of the HeriTACE renovation approach:
(1) Screening of the townhouse typology, selection of archetypes and case-studies in the partner countries.
(2) Interdisciplinary analysis of heritage townhouses to gain a comprehensive understanding of the building typology.
(3) Overview and selection of technical solutions for the energy renovation of the building envelope, HVAC and energy systems (in the building and neighbourhood) of heritage townhouses.
(4) Set-up of an integrated multi-scale simulation-based optimal design methodology
(5) Definition of pre-renovation and renovation baselines and performance indicators.
Development of innovative technical solutions:
(1) Development of prototypes and set-up of experimental studies (in lab and outdoor environment) of innovative ETICS exterior insulation systems for plastered heritage walls, insulation systems for heritage wood-log constructions, airtight and energy efficient heritage window solutions and BIPV integrating aesthetically with historical roofs.
(2) Initiation of the developments of performance-based ventilation solutions, smart and hybrid heating systems, and ventilative cooling solutions.
(3) Initiation of the developments of heat recovery concepts from unharvested local heat sources, smart model predictive controls and optimal design and control of small-scale 5th generation district heating solutions for historical neighbourhoods.
(1) Screening of the townhouse typology, selection of archetypes and case-studies in the partner countries.
(2) Interdisciplinary analysis of heritage townhouses to gain a comprehensive understanding of the building typology.
(3) Overview and selection of technical solutions for the energy renovation of the building envelope, HVAC and energy systems (in the building and neighbourhood) of heritage townhouses.
(4) Set-up of an integrated multi-scale simulation-based optimal design methodology
(5) Definition of pre-renovation and renovation baselines and performance indicators.
Development of innovative technical solutions:
(1) Development of prototypes and set-up of experimental studies (in lab and outdoor environment) of innovative ETICS exterior insulation systems for plastered heritage walls, insulation systems for heritage wood-log constructions, airtight and energy efficient heritage window solutions and BIPV integrating aesthetically with historical roofs.
(2) Initiation of the developments of performance-based ventilation solutions, smart and hybrid heating systems, and ventilative cooling solutions.
(3) Initiation of the developments of heat recovery concepts from unharvested local heat sources, smart model predictive controls and optimal design and control of small-scale 5th generation district heating solutions for historical neighbourhoods.
The key project results are:
(1) A replicable holistic assessment model and standardised processes to create a holistic vision and plan on the renovation requirements for heritage townhouses in historical neighbourhoods,
(2) Optimal and integrated design approaches for the deep renovation of heritage townhouses, with well-considered, targeted and minimal invasive renovation measures,
(3) Durable insulation and air tightness solutions for the renovation of building envelopes, respecting their heritage values and traditional building technology,
(4) Optimised and smart controlled HVAC-concepts adapted to heritage townhouses, optimising comfort, and indoor air quality precisely where and when the building users need it,
(5) Integrated R²ES-based energy supply solutions, maximising the share of local R²ES in heritage buildings within historical neighbourhoods.
(1) A replicable holistic assessment model and standardised processes to create a holistic vision and plan on the renovation requirements for heritage townhouses in historical neighbourhoods,
(2) Optimal and integrated design approaches for the deep renovation of heritage townhouses, with well-considered, targeted and minimal invasive renovation measures,
(3) Durable insulation and air tightness solutions for the renovation of building envelopes, respecting their heritage values and traditional building technology,
(4) Optimised and smart controlled HVAC-concepts adapted to heritage townhouses, optimising comfort, and indoor air quality precisely where and when the building users need it,
(5) Integrated R²ES-based energy supply solutions, maximising the share of local R²ES in heritage buildings within historical neighbourhoods.