Antwerp, Flemish Region, Belgium
Research and education in heritage conservation: focus on relation between technical conservation issues and inter-disciplinary methodologies and approaches for the preservation of the built heritage; Setting-up and managing a network of Ph.D. students and post-doc researchers on preventive conservation, maintenance and monitoring of monuments and sites; Former holder of UNESCO chair on preventive conservation, maintenance and monitoring of monuments and sites supported by the Fund at K.U.Leuven. Former Chair of the scientific committee of the Joint Program Initiative on "Heritage and Global Change". Member of the Council of Europa Nostra. Specialties: lime mortar; hydraulic (lime) mortar; (historic) masonry, carbonation; analysis and repair of historical structures; interdisciplinary methodologies and approaches for heritage preservation; preventive conservation, maintenance and monitoring of monuments and sites I am also quite active in promoting the relevance of Cultural Heritage for societies. I have contributed to the Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe report (2015); I initiated HERKUL -the Cultural Heritage Institute in the KU Leuven which has unfortunately be disbanded by the university at the end of 2024-, I am actively involved in ICOMOS, Europa Nostra (as a former Council member, member of the jury for the European Heritage Awards) and in the European Heritage Hub. Sinds 2023 I am also member of the panel for the European Heritage Label. I am convince that we need to rightly re-position Culture and Cultural Heritage to understand and measure societal progress and sustainability as part of a wider discourse on democracy, on social justice, on environmental sustainability aside technical progress. The actual crisis is giving us an amazing opportunity at the condition that conservative powers manage to refrain themselves from safeguarding their interests only. Creativity, art and culture will inspire communities to redesign the way we can live on the only planet we have, in a sustainable way. It is necessary to guarantee a future for our children and next generations.
Holder UNESCO Chair on Preventive Conservation, Monitoring and Maintenance of Monuments and Sites (PRECOMOS)