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Bridging the Gap Between Heritage and Climate Resilience

  • May 7
  • 2 min read

How can cultural heritage support climate resilience while preserving the identity of historic cities? Recent research contributions connected to the Go2CHANGE network and related European projects are helping move climate resilience from theory into practical application. Building on previous EU-funded projects such as SHELTER, ARCH, The HuT, and ENACT 15mC, members of the Go2CHANGE network continue to develop tools supporting evidence-based climate adaptation strategies for heritage environments.

Research contributions from the SHELTER operational knowledge framework, developed with the involvement of Dr Matthias Ripp, support the integration of resilience thinking into existing urban development and heritage management practices. These approaches help translate resilience from a conceptual framework into applicable planning strategies for historic environments. Further details are available in the open-access publication in LAND.

Protecting historic timber from climate stress: Recent research led by Engin Derya Gezer focuses on protecting historic timber structures exposed to increasing humidity variability and thermal stress conditions. The work integrates:

  • in-situ inspections

  • non-destructive testing (NDT)

  • Eurocode-based structural assessment methods

These approaches support evidence-based decision-making and contribute to proactive climate adaptation strategies for vulnerable heritage assets.

Digital twins supporting climate-sensitive heritage planning: Within the Horizon Europe HuT project, research coordinated with contributions from Javier Orozco-Messana explores GIS-based digital twin simulation environments supporting climate adaptation in historic urban areas.

The modelling framework demonstrates measurable impacts including:

  • reduction of urban heat hotspots by 2–4 °C

  • energy savings of approximately 21% through façade refurbishment strategies

  • improved cooling performance through green corridors and porous material systems

  • high simulation accuracy with validation results reaching 99.78%

These advances contribute to strengthening the methodological foundation supporting climate adaptation pathways across the Go2CHANGE network and its Urban Living Lab heritage cities.

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