Editorial

Abstract

Preventing dangerous climate change, and therefore reducing carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption of the building stock, is a key priority for the European Union. Initially, this was (mainly) directed towards new buildings, yet in the last years also historic buildings become more and more concerned. All of our built heritage, listed or not, is a witness of our past, our history and our constructive traditions. It adds significantly to the quality and charm of our built environment and therefore ensures the added value of European cities and countryside. It is clear that a sustainable society cannot be built without respect for its history, but it must also be anchored in the present and ensure its future use. Nevertheless, the energetic and comfort optimization of these buildings is not yet generally accepted and often is subjected to delicate discussions. Therefore, it is the duty of the present generation of experts to preserve our built heritage in a way it reflects and is adapted to the economic, societal, environmental, comfort, and energy context of today, while ensuring the absolute preservation of the heritage’s intrinsic values. This two-track policy is an absolute necessity: after all, it is common knowledge that uncomfortable and energy-consuming buildings are not likely to be used, accelerating their decay and finally condemning them to be lost completely for the future generations ... The above-mentioned formed the basis for the Belgian Building Research Institute to organize and host the Second International Conference on Energy Efficiency and Comfort of Historic Buildings (EECHB2016) in October 2016 in close collaboration with the public heritage institutes from Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia. Whereas the papers at the conference ranged from assessment and monitoring, to regulations, management and training, as well as sustainable interventions, this special issue of the Journal of Architectural Conservation puts forward an extended version of four of these papers, illustrating different possibilities and showing the necessity of interaction between science and heritage in order to make our built heritage future proof. The first paper by G. Leijonhufvud and T. Broström shows how standardization in relation to historic buildings has taken a new direction during the last years. It emphasizes on how energy standards, focusing on decision processes, can solve some of the problems related to the conventional outcome-oriented approach of standards by opening up for a wider set of solutions. Thereafter, R. Kilian, S. Bichlmair, and M. Krus provide a technical paper, discussing new insights on how to optimize the heating system of historic houses. Being one of the most adopted alterations when improving the energy consumption and comfort of old buildings, the paper discusses four different suitable heating systems by an accurate onsite monitoring of them within the Alte Schäfflerei (Old Cooperage; 1760) of the Benediktbeuern Monastery. Whereas most actions on heritage buildings are oriented towards buildings from long ago, in recent years heritage experts are more and more confronted with the innovative and experimental buildings from the twentieth century. As these are particularly vulnerable to inappropriate retrofit, the paper of R. Atkins, R. Emmanuel, and C. Hermann presents an assessment methodology that systematically integrates conservation with energy performance, economic feasibility, and construction practices for the mid-twentieth century buildings. The