About the project

On 29 June 2023, all the project's partners and supporters will gather in Nancray in the Doubs (France) for the project's final seminar.

Site du Musée des Maisons Comtoises

The 3rd meeting of the Monitoring Committee took place on 15 October 2022. This meeting, again organised by videoconference, enabled the historeno consortium to present the progress of the work as the end of the project approached.

As part of the historeno project, three training courses are on offer (discovering hemp concrete, understanding the issues surrounding dampness in the walls of old buildings and insulation, and one on energy renovation in the light of history. The content of these courses and the video content (summary) is available in the "Documentation & Training" section of the website.

Information

Following preliminary discussions with the Office cantonal de l'Energie (OCEN), which is supporting the historeno project, HEIG-VD and AJENA will be hosting a round-table discussion on 31 May 2022 on training issues relating to the energy renovation of buildings, particularly buildings with heritage value in our town and city centres. More information on the official Assises website.

Website of the European Conference on Energy Transition 2022 in Geneva

The 2nd meeting of the Monitoring Committee took place on 8 February. This meeting, again organised by videoconference, enabled the historeno consortium to present the progress made after almost 1 year's work.

More and more contacts are being made with the business departments of the various public authorities, particularly in Switzerland with the French-speaking cantons involved in this project. Blaise Périsset, from HEIG-VD, has begun an important activity for the project: the identification of possible measures on the envelope (facade, roof, windows), heat substitution and the integration of renewable energy (such as solar panels), taking into account the different building protection ratings. The originality of this work lies in defining, with the energy and heritage departments concerned in each canton, characterisation grids that are as close as possible to the realities on the ground and to the texts in force in the cantons. The aim is to get all the departments involved around the same table to clarify the steps to be taken when renovating old and/or historic buildings to make them more energy-efficient, and any prohibitions or authorisations to carry out particular renovation measures. These grids, which will ultimately be integrated into the historeno platform, will provide guidance to those working in the field, including building owners, on what can be done to their building, while bearing in mind that in many cases, the choices will remain specific to each case.

The first meeting of the Monitoring Committee took place on 22 June. This meeting, organised by videoconference, enabled the historeno consortium to present the project's objectives and progress after the first few months of work. With the help of the HEIG-VD's IIDE institute, specific workshops were also held on the development plan for the historeno platform (i.e. its business model) in order to anticipate from the outset the needs of the project's stakeholders, starting with the public authorities and the members of the monitoring committee.

Winner of the Interreg France-Switzerland 2020 call for projects, Axis 2 "Enhancing natural and cultural heritage", the historeno project was officially accepted in January 2021. The lead partners from France (UBFC) and Switzerland (HEIG-VD, IGT-LESBAT) would like to extend their warmest thanks to all the financial and practical support provided during the preparation of the Interreg funding application. HEIG-VD and UBFC would also like to thank all the French (CAUE25, CAUE39 and AJENA) and Swiss (CREM) technical partners who joined the project and contributed their skills to this multidisciplinary project. Almost 15 months after the HEIG-VD began setting up this project in October 2019, the project's technical consortium is now preparing the launch of the project and its various components (technical work, setting up a monitoring committee, etc.). Next step: the project launch meeting with the technical partners in March 2021.

With the active partnership of the Canton of Vaud and the support of the Federal Office of Culture, the Vaud section of Swiss Heritage organised two days of meetings on the theme of "Energy and Heritage" on 25 and 26 March 2022 in Lausanne. At a time when measures are being taken at both federal and cantonal level, it is necessary to find energy renovation solutions that are adapted to buildings of heritage interest.

Dedicated website

Global warming is one of the major challenges of our time. Swiss Heritage fully supports the national energy strategy and adheres to the objective of a climate-neutral Switzerland by 2050. In fact, the association is actively involved in achieving this goal. However, in its view, the "zero net emissions" objective set out in the 2050 Energy Strategy can be achieved without damaging the built heritage or relaxing the relevant protective provisions. If we want to ensure that the energy revolution does not come at the expense of the country's historic built heritage and cultural identity, we need to find specific solutions.

Related article

Babina Chaillot Calame, cantonal curator of monuments at the Office du patrimoine et des sites, answers Philippe Verdier's questions in the Léman bleu programme GO solutions durables.

Podcast of the show on the Léman bleu website

The key players in the fields of cultural heritage, architecture, landscape and spatial planning in Switzerland are launching the Climate and Building Culture Campaign. Together, they are committed to the goal of zero emissions and high-quality spaces that respect our identity. A high-level building culture makes an essential contribution to achieving climate targets. The new Climate Campaign shows the way.

Press release

The ATLAS project, funded by the Interreg Alpin Space programme, has just come to an end in April 2021. Its aim was to (re)discover all the traditional architecture (buildings and ensembles above the level of protection) in the Alpine arc, of which Switzerland and France are part. It focused on buildings located in neglected areas and offering low levels of energy efficiency and comfort. A database (HiBERatlas) and a calculation tool (HiBERtool) have been developed and could be used in the historeno project (in zones F and CH of the Alpine region studied). The historeno project will be able to draw on a number of best practice fact sheets, particularly on issues relating to the energy renovation of buildings. However, the scope of the ATLAS project differs somewhat from historeno in that it deals with all types of old buildings regardless of their location, whereas historeno focuses on the renovation of buildings in town and village centres, aided by the creation of a web geoportal, the heart of the historeno approach.

Project website and results

Reducing our energy consumption by renovating our building stock and keeping our built heritage as intact as possible are two legitimate concerns for future generations. But can they be reconciled? Yes, as long as it's done intelligently.

Full article on the Romande Energie blog