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Online Course on Energy Retrofit of Historic Buildings

Posted 1 Apr 2026

Unlock the potential of historic buildings. Join an international cohort of experts to master the energy transition of our built heritage. Registration is open until 18 April.

Event Information

FuturHist is a research project co-funded by the European Union and UKRI that aims to demonstrate that energy efficiency and heritage preservation are not mutually exclusive, but can be successfully combined through well-adapted retrofit strategies.

As a partner of FuturHist, INTBAU supports the dissemination of research and practice that show how traditional buildings can meet contemporary performance requirements while retaining their cultural value. Through this shared commitment, FuturHist provides knowledge, methodologies, and tested solutions that support INTBAU’s global network in advancing traditional building, architecture, and urbanism in today’s built environment.

FuturHist Retrofit Academy

As Europe moves toward a carbon-neutral future, the refurbishment of historic buildings presents a unique challenge: how do we achieve modern energy standards without losing cultural identity? The FuturHist Retrofit Academy offers a specialised, two-stage capacity-building programme designed to bridge the gap between heritage conservation and high-performance energy efficiency.

Co-organised by the Sendzimir Foundation and ICOMOS, with the participation of academic and technological partners involved in the Horizon Europe FuturHist project, this programme provides practitioners with the methodologies, tools, and innovative solutions developed within the project.

Fill in the enrollment form!

Who is the programme for?

This programme is specifically tailored for professionals operating within the European Union and associated countries who are looking to specialise in the sensitive retrofit of the historic building stock:

Architects and Urban Designers
Civil and Energy Engineers
Building Sector Specialists (Conservation officers, energy auditors, and project managers)
Emerging Professionals looking to enter the sustainable heritage sector.

What are the benefits of taking part?

By joining the FuturHist Retrofit Academy, you will:

Gain Competitive Expertise: Master the “typological approach” to renovation – moving from time-consuming and expensive, one-off case studies to scalable, efficient retrofit models.
Access Cutting-Edge Tech: Be among the first to explore and test the FuturHist Toolkit, a step-by-step decision support system that streamlines the planning of energy retrofits.
Network Internationally: Build relationships with top-tier experts from across Europe, including partners from the FuturHist Horizon Europe project consortium.
Future-Proof Your Career: Equip yourself with the skills to meet stringent European energy policies and green building standards for heritage assets.

What will you learn?

The curriculum is designed to transform theoretical knowledge into practical, billable skills:

Technical Solutions: Deep dives into innovative passive solutions (biomaterials, self-healing lime renders, and window retrofits) and active systems (HVAC and Renewable Energy integration).
Practical Implementation: Implement the knowledge gained to the real-life case study buildings in Krakow, Poland and other participating countries.
Simulation & Assessment: Gain hands-on experience with hygrothermal simulation of building envelopes and Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA).
Decision-Making: Learn a multidimensional methodology to balance energy performance, occupant comfort, and conservation compatibility.
Policy & Standards: Navigate the legal and technical barriers of European building stock renovation.

Programme Structure

The FuturHist Retrofit Academy is designed as a two-step capacity-building programme.

Stage 1: E-learning Course

Date: 20 April – 31 May 2026 | Format: Online | Access: Open to all applicants

This intensive six-week course provides the practical knowledge required for modern retrofit projects on renovation practices, energy efficiency, data collection and assessment for better-informed decision-making, as well as basic skills in hygrothermal simulation of building envelopes.

Various retrofitting solutions will be presented in the context of building physics and material properties. Both traditional and innovative passive solutions (e.g. recycled insulation materials, biomaterials, self-healing materials, and window retrofits) will be discussed in terms of their conservation compatibility and energy efficiency. Active retrofit solutions will also be addressed, including the assessment of HVAC systems and guidelines for integrating renewable energy sources (RES).

The course will demand around 30 hours of work. The participants will be able to organise their work independently, according to their availability during the six-week course. To complete the course and receive a certificate, one must master the knowledge contained in the training materials, actively participate in expert-moderated discussions on the course website, and complete at least two tasks by the designated deadlines. If you prefer, you can apply only to the e-learning stage. The participation in the online course is free of charge.

The E-learning Course is structured into three core modules. Participants may navigate the modules according to their specific interests, without a mandatory sequence.

Module 1: Baseline

Challenges & Potentials – introduction and overview of European policies, guidelines, and retrofitting tools
Assessment Categories and KPIs – heritage significance, energy performance, quality indicators, LCA, and financial aspects
European Standard – presentation of the normative background
Building Typologies – definition and presentation of FuturHist typologies and demo cases in Córdoba, Edinburgh, Kraków, and Linköping

Module 2: FuturHist Approach

Renovation Practices – overview of current renovation practices
FuturHist Toolkit – introduction to innovative FuturHist typology approach, a multidimensional decision-making methodology, and a decision support system

Module 3: Retrofitting Solutions

Building Physics & Material Properties – energy efficiency, durability, conservation compatibility, biomaterials, self-healing materials, recycled materials, and aerogels
Building Survey and Assessment under EN 16883:2017 and Beyond – data collection for better-informed decisions and the FuturHist Toolkit
Conservation-Compatible Passive Solutions – potential applications and limitations of insulation systems and materials, best practices in window retrofit, and an introduction to building envelope hygrothermal simulation
Conservation-Compatible Active Solutions – evaluation of active retrofit systems (HVAC and RES) and guidelines for their integration

Participants will be granted access to the E-learning platform through individual accounts, which will be activated and distributed shortly before the course begins.

Stage 2: European Summer Academy on the Refurbishment of Historic Buildings

Date: 7 – 13 September 2026 | Location: Kraków, Poland | Access: Exclusive to the top 20 E-learning alumni. The highest-achieving and the most engaged participants from Stage 1 will be invited to this fully immersive, 7-day practical training.

This interactive and practice-oriented programme will enable the exchange of best practices among participants. Working on real case-study buildings, participants will develop refurbishment and retrofit concepts in dialogue with local stakeholders.

A novel multidimensional decision-making methodology and the initial version of the step-by-step decision support system (the FuturHist Toolkit) will be presented and tested.

The curriculum will include building diagnosis, objective setting, identification of compatible passive and active solutions, monitoring and control systems, building performance calculations, and life-cycle assessment (LCA). The adaptation and transferability of the FuturHist methodology and solutions to other building typologies and contexts will also be discussed.

To provide the best environment for knowledge and experience sharing in the recruitment process, we will take into account the diversity of represented countries and institutions, as well as the professional motivation described in the registration form. This stage is directed in particular to individuals professionally involved in the future-proofing of European heritage buildings. The participation in the training is free of charge.