A catalogue of 83 measures gives heritage managers, architects, engineers and public authorities a practical roadmap for improving the energy performance, resilience and accessibility of cultural heritage buildings while preserving their historic value.
INHERIT – an EU-funded project specialising in the preservation, restoration and management of cultural heritage buildings – has developed a collection of sustainable renovation measures known as the INHERIT Hub: Catalogue of Measures for Efficient, Inclusive, Resilient and Low-Emission Cultural Heritage. The catalogue brings together 83 interventions adapted for cultural heritage buildings, spanning building envelope upgrades, heating and cooling systems, renewable energy, water and materials efficiency, structural reinforcement, accessibility and digital monitoring tools.
The catalogue comes at a time when Europe’s cultural heritage buildings face a shared challenge: on the one hand, they are asked to reduce their carbon footprint and improve comfort and accessibility, while on the other, they need to respect strict conservation requirements to safeguard their heritage character. Until now, the tools available to guide that work had been built for ordinary buildings, leaving heritage professionals to navigate conservation rules and sustainability goals largely on their own.
What sets the catalogue apart is its heritage-first structure. Rather than presenting a generic collection of energy conservation measures, it organises every intervention according to how compatible it is with a building’s level of heritage protection. Drawing on the national heritage systems of Croatia, Greece, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye and the United Kingdom, the project team established a common three-tier framework — from buildings with no special protection through to those under the strictest national heritage legislation — so that users across different countries can work from a shared reference point while still respecting local rules.
Guided by this framework, users follow a simple three-step process: they identify their building’s protection level; consult the catalogue to see which measures are generally compatible with that level; and use the detailed technical guidance for each measure — including expected costs, impacts and implementation considerations — to inform their renovation planning.
The catalogue is designed as a practical guide for heritage managers, architects, engineers, public authorities and other stakeholders involved in conserving, renovating and operating historic buildings. It is intended to sit alongside, not replace, building-specific assessments, expert judgement and the formal regulatory approval procedures each country requires.
By giving heritage professionals a single, structured starting point for sustainability planning, the INHERIT catalogue aims to make it easier to bring historic buildings into line with Europe’s climate and energy objectives — while keeping the cultural, historical and architectural values that define them intact for future generations.
Download the INHERIT catalogue here!
Cover photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash