In March, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (Dutch: Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed) launched a contest on how to sustainably conserve iconic churches: Sublime Beauty, Sublime Sustainability. One of the jury members, Patty Wageman, director of the Groningen’s Historic Churches Foundation (Dutch: Stichting Oude Groninger Kerken), hopes for innovative designs.
According to Wageman, the conservation of the School Church in Gamerwolde (Dutch: Schoolkerk) is a successful example. “In the church, the underfloor heating is controlled by a heat pump. The old tiles have been removed first and replaced later. When we receive a group of school children, they sit on cushions on the heated floor. In this way, the floor adds value to the meetings.”
Read the full article at Future for Religious Heritage (Dutch: Toekomst Religieus Erfgoed). (This article is in Dutch. To translate this article, you can use the Google Translate extension.)