The SAK method

An easy-to-use method for the strategic work of municipalities.

As a result of the research project, Aarhus School of Architecture has developed a new method for screening cultural environments known as SAK. The method was created in dialogue with those municipalities whose cultural environments were screened as part of the project. And the aim of the method is to provide a manageable tool that is easy to use for municipal authorities, who are responsible for our cultural environments.

Screening of Cultural Environments (SAK) is a tool for assessing cultural environments based on readable parameters that clarify the values, characteristics, and potential for development of heritage and creates new opportunities and initiatives aimed at maintaining by developing. The aim is to make it easy for municipalities to work with cultural environments strategically and in a targeted way.

The method is a simple and dynamic tool which provides an overview of the municipality’s cultural environments and their values, characteristics and potential for development
The method is aimed at the efforts of municipalities to select, prioritise and designate cultural environments
The method identifies location-specific resources with a view to making strategic choices
The method provides a central starting point for other initiatives that make use of the values and strategic potential of cultural environments
The method highlights the cultural and historical main features of municipalities

Several of the participating municipalities have begun using the method in their work of revising municipal planning, including Jammerbugt Municipality in The North Jutland Region.

“To us there is no doubt that cultural environments can contribute to the development of habitation, tourism and business and industry. It has been a great help to have someone look at the areas we believe are of value with fresh eyes. And the results can easily be seen if you look at the diagrams of the method – which makes things easier in terms of further political discussions, where there is a need for prioritising and making decisions,” says Malene Stentoft Sørensen, land surveyor and planner, Jammerbugt Municipality.

Aarhus School of Architecture has published a guide to the SAK method. This guide is supplemented with templates containing various forms that are useful for screening cultural environments. The templates are available by request to Aarhus School of Architecture.

Download the SAK method guide (PDF)

Assessing the potential of cultural environments

From 2014 to 17, The Collective Impact group called Bygningsarven i landdistrikterne (architectural heritage in rural districts) worked on preserving and using the potential of rural cultural environments.

The Collective Impact group based its work on the hypothesis that locally and broadly-based conservation and development efforts in cultural environments with strategic development potential could promote investments in cultural environments. The overall purpose of promoting investment in cultural environments is to ensure greater numbers of preserved buildings and buildings that are in use in cultural environments – to create development on the local level and an increased sense of identity and understanding of the values of building heritage.

This work has resulted in a guide, Potentialevurdering af kulturmiljøer (Assessing the Potential of Cultural Environments), which moves from mapping and designating to identifying and activating the potentials of cultural environments which provide a basis for further local investments and development.

Download guide (pdf)