SUSTAINABILITY IN DENMARK’S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE

For many years there has been a hypothesis in the Danish architectural field of conservation that preindustrial building, in particular vernacular architecture, was characterized by thrift. This was partly due to scarce resources, but preindustrial buildings also consumed enormous man power and hence, encouraged rational building.

The hypothesis suggesting a strong sense of resources in Danish preindustrial vernacular architecture has, however, never been investigated or explored systematically.

Today we are facing great climatic, environmental and economic challenges. Human population is increasing, more people want higher life standards, and at the same time non-renewable resources are being used up. In keeping with the growing focus on resource efficiency and sustainability, it seems relevant to investigate connections between sustainable principles and preindustrial, vernacular buildings.

The objective of the PhD project is to provide new knowledge of resource-saving and sustainable principles in the design and construction of Danish preindustrial, vernacular architecture. This knowledge is assumed to increase our understanding of architectural heritage, improve conservation practice and contribute to sustainable design of new buildings.

Supervisors

• Professor Niels Albertsen
• Associate Professor Lars Nicolai Bock