The Smart Evolution of Historical Cities: Integrated Innovative Solutions Supporting the Energy Transition while Respecting Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Building retrofitting is seen as an efficient method for improving a building’s energy performance. On the other hand, when historical buildings are considered for this procedure, retrofitting gets more complicated. As historical buildings typically consist of low-performance building and energy systems, energy retrofits can be highly beneficial. However, not every retrofit technology can be installed in a historical building. In this paper, the study carried out for the implementation of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) solutions in the Historic Centre of Évora is provided, within the framework of the European project POCITYF (Project H2020). The study took into consideration all the observations of the Regional Directorate of Culture of Évora and the administration of the involved schools (including the Association of Parents), the needs of the Municipality of Évora, and the capabilities of technology developers ONYX and Tegola. The proposed solutions aim at fulfilling all the guidelines for preserving the historic centre and achieving the positivity metrics agreed with the European Commission on the challenging and indispensable path to the decarbonisation of European cities.

Photovoltaic Panels and Solar Collectors in Cityscape of Bialystok (Poland) and Cordoba (Spain)

“…The diagrams proposed by Celadyn and Filipek [6] and Gawryluk and Krawczyk [20] in relation to the horizontal projection and Levels of close and remote visibility of PV surfaces from public domain reproduced by Devetaković et al [15] with permission from Maria Cristina Munari Probst, Christian Roecker [25]. The use of the above-mentioned patterns [11]. Many projects to date are discussed due to implementation of somewhat controversial photovoltaic systems on heritage buildings.…”

“…Contribution, potential and future challenges of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) to the concept of nearly zero-energy cities in Europe were analised by Gholami, Rostvik and Steemers [10]. Tsoumanis et al [11] studied the smart evolution of historical cities in context of using photovoltaics while respecting cultural heritage. Rosa [12] analised issue of buildingintegrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in historical buildings especially in context of implementation of somewhat controversial photovoltaic systems on heritage monuments.…”

Enhancing the deployment of solar energy in Norwegian high-sensitive built environments: challenges and barriers—a scoping review

“…The conservation aspect, not only from the legislative but also from a social-cultural point of view, can be assessed with the compatibility and non-invasiveness criteria. The main barrier when it comes to the conservation of sites is the restrictive and prohibitive rules that have the purpose of protecting the integrity and authenticity of a site (Ibrahim et al, 2021), but can have the effect of hindering energy-saving measures (Tsoumanis et al, 2021). Strict laws on aesthetic integration, compatibility, and noninvasiveness make it hard to find adapted technologies complying with the specifications which induce technical constraints.…”

“…There is a shared consensus in the literature that a common language only makes sense in case all stakeholders (i.e., individuals as well as institutions and companies) are included and have the ability to get involved and take decisions (Pelle et al, 2020;Tsoumanis et al, 2021;Sánchez-Pantoja et al, 2021;De Medici and Stefania, 2021;López et al, 2021a;Kandt et al, 2011;Thebault et al, 2020; C. S. P. López and Frontini, 2014). End-users should not be forgotten as they both fund the project and take benefit from it (Thebault et al, 2020), a wholesome approach should keep the centre point on the end-users needs and expectations.…”

Cultural Heritage Storytelling, Engagement and Management in the Era of Big Data and the Semantic Web

“…The tenth paper focuses on the smart evolution of historical cities, integrating innovative solutions that support the energy transition while respecting cultural heritage. Tsoumanis et al (2021) carried out a study for the implementation of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) solutions in the Historic Centre of Évora is provided, within the framework of the European project POCITYF (Project H2020). The proposed solutions aim at fulfilling all the guidelines for preserving the historic center and achieving the positivity metrics agreed with the European Commission on the challenging and indispensable path to the decarbonization of European cities (Contribution 10).…”