In an era of rapid technological improvements, state-of-the-art methodologies and tools dedicated to the protection and promotion of our cultural heritage should be developed and extensively employed in the modern built environment and lifestyle. At the same time, sustainability principles underline the importance of the continuous use of historic or vernacular buildings as part of the building stock of our society. The adoption of a holistic, integrated, multi-disciplinary strategy can bridge technological innovation with the conservation and restoration of heritage buildings

The project “Portal for heritage buildings integration into the contemporary built environment” (PERIsCOPE) aims to design and develop an innovative platform for the identification, classification, documentation and renovation of heritage buildings which can be exploited by a variety of stakeholders related to the conservation and retrofit activities. PERIsCOPE will enable the exploitation of state-of-the-art techniques in the scientific fields of Building Information Modelling (BIM), remote sensing, terrestrial and aerial 3D modelling techniques, and non-destructive onsite testing, pursued by the leading research and academic institutions of Cyprus in these fields. PERIsCOPE platform is targeted to specific stakeholders to impact culturally and economically the society of Cyprus, including public authorities and policy makers (Town Planning and Housing Department, Department of Antiquities, Municipalities) and professionals (archaeologists, engineers, architects and chartered surveyors).

The implementation of PERIsCOPE in practice involves the pilot application of the proposed holistic integrated methodology on 20 heritage buildings in Nicosia and Limassol (including examples located in both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot neighbourhoods), with regards to their location in the contemporary fabric of the city, as well as their current structural condition. This pilot application will enable the generation of an integrated database, from which information and data will be extracted, in order to be used for the development of the methodology with feedback collected from the stakeholders engaged in the project. The development of the platform and associated tools will bring added value and benefits to the Public Authorities and Cultural Operators participating, and to the Consortium as a whole.

PERIsCOPE’s methodology will approach the challenges and identified issues of heritage buildings from multiple points of view, including: (i) the mapping and parametric management of data of heritage buildings through BIM, (ii) the documentation of architectural typology and architectonic features, (iii) the method of construction, (iv) the definition of their structural condition, and (v) the restoration and renovation requirements. The platform will be used for the monitoring of the urban growth and the evaluation of urban plans by authorities, the documentation and valuation of heritage buildings and the update of existing catalogues, the introduction of incentives required for the buildings’ structural and energy retrofitting.

PERIsCOPE is aligned with the objectives of RESTART 2016-2020 Programme and the “Integrated Projects” Call, Strategy Pillar I: PERIsCOPE’s general objective is to promote smart growth through the boosting of the Research, Development and Innovation and the strengthening of the links and interaction between the research and the business sector;

• PERIsCOPE aspires to deliver novel tools that will incorporate holistic, integrated, inter-disciplinary solutions for the conservation, restoration and protection of heritage buildings. The results of the project will significantly enhance the competitiveness of the construction industry
• PERIsCOPE’s consortium is composed of partners from the sectors of research, academia, business and policy-making. Through the integration of expertise from all domains, the project aspires the development of essential links and synergies for the delivery of innovative tools to tackle challenges related to the conservation, restoration, and promotion of building heritage
• PERIsCOPE will exploit the local centres of Research Excellence and state-of-the-art infrastructure for their contribution to the development of new competitive products.