Work Package 2Conceptualization of previous experiences.The work package 2 was aimed at sharing and reflecting on three relevant experiences of built cultural heritage conservation and valorisation: the Monumentenwacht organisation in the Netherlands and the Flanders, the Halland Model in Sweden and the Distretti Culturali project in Italy. |
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Work Package 3Implementation of maintenance systems: investigation on efficacy of maintenance practices in Belgium.Within the work package 3, KU Leuven collaborated with Monumentenwacht Flanders to study maintenance problems of historic buildings (listed and non-listed), to understand monitoring/reporting and types of past interventions, to evaluate them in terms of effectiveness, durability and costs and to identify the skills and knowledge involved in this process. An urban environment (Mechelen) and a rural area (South-East of Limburg) were analyzed in order to include the impact of the location context, urban or rural, in reference to the maintenance guidelines formulated in the reports and the types of interventions effectively carried out. |
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Work Package 4Implementation of maintenance systems: investigation on efficacy of maintenance practices in the Netherlands.The work package 4 was developed by TU Delft in cooperation with Monumentenwacht Noord-Brabant in a specific Dutch context. The topic investigated was related to the effectiveness of conservation interventions carried out in sixteen selected case studies in two different regions. The assessment of the theory and the modus operandi of Monumentenwacht led to some hypotheses on its value and role within the Dutch Heritage Conservation system/philosophy (as expressed by the RCE, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands). |
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Work Package 5Implementation of maintenance systems: investigation on efficacy of maintenance practices in Italy.Thanks to associate partners, the Politecnico di Milano and the Foppoli Moretta e Associati consulting engineers implemented research on the Royal Villa in Monza, where a huge conservation and valorisation project is ongoing, and on other case studies that are part of the Cultural District project, a wide area program co-financed by Cariplo Foundation mixing heritage and creativity for a local development strategy. Activities developed within the work package 5 were directed to study the condition assessment of the buildings, define maintenance works, evaluate their costs and meet local stakeholders, making them aware of benefits. |
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Work Package 6Economic analysis of costs and benefits of preventive conservation practices (monitoring and maintenance systems).Data gathered in the work packages 3, 4 and 5, related to maintenance and monitoring activities executed upon built cultural heritage, provided the basis for a cost-benefit analysis. The comparison between the management approaches adopted by the different partners allowed to go beyond the popular conviction that maintenance is less expensive than cure and to understand which are the conditions which affect the decision making. The objective was to overcome qualitative models, introducing evaluation methods closer to reality. |
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Work Package 7Analysis of economic and societal impacts and externalities of valorisation strategies.Since CHANGES team has a very deep experience in conservation projects developed in the different countries of the participants (Belgium, Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands), and each experience has its strong and opportunity outcomes as well as some barriers, the work package 7 sought to understand the regional development impact of these projects and how conservation policies play an important role in such development. |
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Work Package 8Dissemination and knowledge transfer.The activities related to the dissemination of the results and the knowledge transfer concerned the design of the project website, as well as scientific publications and the organisation of open seminars and conferences involving the project partners, local stakeholders, researchers and students. |
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ConclusionsProject conclusions.CHANGES project explored actual results and stakeholders’ attitude toward conservation pursued through different models in different countries. CHANGES outcomes end up in providing policy makers and influencers with simple rules for more effective funding policies. |
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