Sustainable Renovation towards Net-Zero Modern Cultural Heritage: A Brutalist case study

¹ Department of Interior Design, Faculty of Design, Holon Institute of Technology (HIT), Holon, Israel
² Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel

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Abstract

The sustainable renovation of historical buildings presents a unique set of challenges when addressing a balanced outcome between improving energy efficiency and preserving cultural heritage character and identity. European Union (EU) goals for net-zero carbon buildings by 2050, recognize the importance of developing comprehensive legal frameworks to guide stakeholders architects, engineers, property owners, and policymakers in adopting sustainable renovation practices to enhance energy efficiency, while respect architectural and historic value of cultural heritage buildings. The European Horizon program “SINCERE: The second life of modern period architecture: Resilient and adaptive renovation towards net-zero carbon heritage buildings” (2023-2026) aims to elucidate the values of Built Heritage and provide the tools for optimizing the carbon footprint and energy performance of historic buildings. SINCERE methodology utilizes innovative, sustainable, and costeffective restoration materials and practices, energy harvesting technologies, ICT tools and socially innovative approaches, applied on the two main parts of buildings: structure, external envelope opaque and transparent.

The Building 3 of the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT), built in the Brutalist style of partially exposed reinforced concrete and distinct geometric forms, is used as one of the five pilot sites for the SINCERE program. This paper examines the energy conservation and generation strategies implemented in the pilot, highlighting interventions that improve long-term sustainability, performance, and maintainability. The HIT pilot illustrates how modern heritage buildings can serve as testbeds for innovative, replicable solutions that reconcile conservation and climate goals within existing urban environments.