As Europe moves toward a carbon-neutral future, the refurbishment of historic buildings presents a unique challenge: how do we achieve modern energy standards without losing cultural identity? The FuturHist Retrofit Academy offers a specialised, two-stage capacity-building programme designed to bridge the gap between heritage conservation and high-performance energy efficiency.
Co-organised by the Sendzimir Foundation and ICOMOS, with the participation of academic and technological partners involved in the Horizon Europe FuturHist project, this programme provides practitioners with the methodologies, tools, and innovative solutions developed within the project.
Who is the programme for?
This programme is specifically tailored for professionals operating within the European Union and associated countries who are looking to specialise in the sensitive retrofit of the historic building stock:
- Architects and Urban Designers
- Civil and Energy Engineers
- Building Sector Specialists (Conservation officers, energy auditors, and project managers)
- Emerging Professionals looking to enter the sustainable heritage sector.
What are the benefits of taking part?
By joining the FuturHist Retrofit Academy, you will:
- Gain Competitive Expertise: Master the “typological approach” to renovation – moving from time-consuming and expensive, one-off case studies to scalable, efficient retrofit models.
- Access Cutting-Edge Tech: Be among the first to explore and test the FuturHist Toolkit, a step-by-step decision support system that streamlines the planning of energy retrofits.
- Network Internationally: Build relationships with top-tier experts from across Europe, including partners from the FuturHist Horizon Europe project consortium.
- Future-Proof Your Career: Equip yourself with the skills to meet stringent European energy policies and green building standards for heritage assets.
What will you learn?
The curriculum is designed to transform theoretical knowledge into practical, billable skills:
- Technical Solutions: Deep dives into innovative passive solutions (biomaterials, self-healing lime renders, and window retrofits) and active systems (HVAC and Renewable Energy integration).
- Practical Implementation: Implement the knowledge gained to the real-life case study buildings in Krakow, Poland and other participating countries.
- Simulation & Assessment: Gain hands-on experience with hygrothermal simulation of building envelopes and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA).
- Decision-Making: Learn a multidimensional methodology to balance energy performance, occupant comfort, and conservation compatibility.
- Policy & Standards: Navigate the legal and technical barriers of European building stock renovation.
