WateR cyclE For RESilient Heritage

Cultural heritage, as represented by collections in museums and the built environment, is a unique resource in socio-cultural and economic terms. Climate change will lead to extreme events such as droughts and floods, severe storms and heat waves occurring more frequently across Europe. While the impact of climate change on society and ecosystems has garnered significant attention, the consequences for cultural heritage have largely been overlooked. The major factor controlling the impact of climate change on heritage buildings hosting collections, surrounded by natural environments is water (in excess or in stress) and its transfer. In this context the project aims to understand the role of the water cycle on cultural heritage site conservation with an holistic approach considering water dynamics at three scales : - The liquid water in the natural environment (soil and vegetation in gardens and parks) - The liquid to vapor water transfer within the architectural building envelope (monument) - The vapor to liquid water in interiors and collections (condensation phenomena) This research explores how heritage sites can be resources for climate mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development through optimal management of the water cycle in and around them. Our objective is to identify levers at the heritage site scale to optimise conservation of cultural heritage while improving water management and reducing energy consumption. To achieve the project objective, a transdisciplinary approach will combine historical, experimental, theoretical and numerical studies of water transfers across three scales at real heritage sites with respect to climate data. Building on the resultant improved understanding of water transport, passive solutions as well as innovative materials and techniques will be integrated and optimized. Using these levers, the project will establish how the nature-culture relationship (soil-vegetation-buildings-museum collections) could be the key to making European cultural heritage more resilient.