SINCERE Encounter, Rhodes, Greece

29 March, 2024

SINCERE Encounters - the general idea

SINCERE Encounters are informal meetings between SINCERE project members and stakeholders in a pilot building to get to know each other and discuss ways in which SINCERE's intervention can be more productive and beneficial for all.

More specifically, a small group of 10-15 people visit the building and take a walk around the area (approximately 1 hour). They then sit in a meeting room to share impressions and present important information (1 hour), and the introduction ends in a more relaxed setting with discussions of general interest (2 hours).

The Rhodes Encounter

Programme: invitation text (in greek)

Audience: Representatives from the Perfecture (building owner) and the Rhodes Municipality, and eight cultural organizations.

Main points made during the discussions:

- Heritage buildings are not included in the energy targets set by legislation and the most important priority is to preserve their identity.

- The use of the Neoclassical School as an experimental site for the study of innovative materials makes sense, but interventions should be discreet.

- The restoration programme has very specific timelines that need to be adhered to and it is good to have provision for planned SINCERE interventions (e.g. sockets for the chencers).

- It is important that future use of the site is 'dense' (e.g. chess club) and not piecemeal (e.g. 3 festivals per year) to reduce maintenance costs in the long term.

- A 'net zero' carbon requirement for a building can be achieved not only by reducing consumption but also through energy production from the building itself or the wider area in which it is located.

- As the climate crisis becomes more visible and urgent, should heritage buildings play a more important role in raising public awareness?