Czym jest zrównoważona transformacja zabytków?

What is Sustainable Conservation of Monuments?

Does such a thing as an environmentally friendly monument exist?

Can a monument be cheaper to maintain and not excessively consume energy, water, materials, and the patience of its owners?

For us at the 8Marca Foundation, sustainable conservation of monuments is one that, from the very stage of planning and researching the potential of a site, is based on an interdisciplinary perspective and an understanding of how the building functions.

Why isn’t a conservator, a builder, or an archaeologist alone enough? Because every building is connected to its surroundings – whether people, vegetation, animals, or water. Without the right knowledge, even with the best intentions, we can cause irreversible damage or overlook opportunities, for example, to save energy, water, or materials.

In a conversation with a biology PhD, we learned that cutting self-seeded trees in historic parks can disturb the root ecosystem of old trees. This, in turn, can result in losing the very ancient trees we wanted to protect in the first place by removing the saplings…

This is just one of many examples where patching a problem in one place creates a new one just a few meters away. To avoid this, an interdisciplinary approach – looking at the same issue from multiple perspectives – brings the best long-term results.

Sustainable conservation of monuments is not only about understanding the building and the place we are working with. It is also about selecting appropriate materials, working methods, and planning installations in an optimal way, in line with the principles of sustainable development. In practice, old buildings “prefer” natural materials that allow walls to breathe.

Remembering the historical context and the way buildings constructed 100, 200, or 300 years ago were designed, we know they were not meant to have plastic windows, mechanical ventilation, or underfloor heating. In the past, it was normal for bricks to absorb some water during a storm, but natural ventilation systems and the building’s temperature allowed them to dry naturally and “release” the moisture back into the environment. People used curtains, drapes, shutters (both internal and external), and draft excluders to reduce heat loss in vulnerable areas – around windows and doors.

This does not mean we cannot modernize monuments – but every modernization must be carefully considered and thoroughly designed by at least an engineer, an architect, and a conservator. We believe that one well-thought-out decision ensures savings and security for the future.

Sustainable Development

At the 8Marca Foundation, sustainable development means that we act not only to avoid wasting resources but also to actively restore and rebuild them for the future.

Three important elements define the sustainable character of our work:

• seeking solutions that build social capital;

• seeking infrastructural solutions that move toward a circular economy;

• maximizing the use of existing building fabric, with particular respect for biodiversity.

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We achieve our goals by using available technology and knowledge, while also generating new knowledge based on data collected and research conducted at heritage sites.

Our priority is to reuse and preserve as much of the original building fabric and materials as possible, always following prior discussions and approval with local heritage conservators. This approach ties directly to ecological concerns and the reduction of a project’s carbon footprint.

What’s more, we not only plan to regenerate 100% of green spaces in the spirit of biodiversity protection, but we also aim to make use of the modern water and sewage infrastructure of a given site. This includes maximizing water reuse through rainwater harvesting systems and natural filtration.

At the same time, we want to educate communities and visitors about our sustainable solutions.

Together, we will leave the Planet better than we found it.

I support the March 8 Foundation!