Short term join staff training in Technological innovation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings

The Erasmus+ Smart Rehabilitation 3.0 project organized, between June 6 and 10, 2022, a training in technological innovation in adaptative reuse of historic buildings. The Department of Architecture of the University of Cyprus assumed the organization, focused on defining the issues to be considered in the training of future Experts in Building Rehabilitation (BRE). More than 30 Cypriot, Spanish, Italian and Lithuanian experts and professionals participated, representing the different members of the Project.

The course, with an eminently practical approach, sought a balance between case presentations and technical visits to adaptative reuse experiences of historic buildings in Cyprus, to give them new uses, preserving their heritage and bioclimatic values, all complemented with the necessary theoretical reflections and debates among the participants. During the first day, the participant visited the facilities of the University of Cyprus and its laboratories, focused on the experimentation of traditional and innovative materials, applicable to the rehabilitation of buildings. A full day was devoted to analyse various buildings that have been the object of intervention in the historic centre of the city of Nicosia for different uses (museum, office, cultural centre, etc.), and another day visiting buildings in Limassol, among which the new University facilities in historic buildings. Another interesting day was allowed to know the rehabilitation of small villages in the Cypriot mountains area such as Fikardou and Lazania. The last day, a visit was organised to an experience at neighbourhood level, in Kaimakli, where we had the opportunity to exchange opinions with those responsible for the actions.

The course closed with an interesting debate to determine the main knowledge and skills that these experts must have, in aspects related to the rehabilitation of housing, in order to improve their habitability and use, from a broad perspective for the different European countries.