HYPERION · Project

Climate Risk Maps and Decision Tools to Protect Historic Buildings and Heritage Sites

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Imagine you manage an old cathedral or a historic town center, and you need to know exactly how rising temperatures, heavier rainfall, or extreme storms will damage those irreplaceable structures over the next 50 years. HYPERION built a system that zooms climate forecasts down to a 1x1 km grid — like a weather app for your specific neighborhood — then calculates how heat, moisture, and pollution will eat away at stone, wood, and plaster. It tested this at four real heritage sites across Norway, Spain, Italy, and Greece, giving local authorities actual vulnerability maps and reconstruction priorities instead of guesswork.

By the numbers

1x1 km

Climate map resolution — downscaled to neighborhood level

European historic areas used as demonstration sites

Consortium partners involved in development

Countries represented in the consortium

Total deliverables produced

SMEs participating in the project

The business problem

What needed solving

Historic buildings and cultural heritage sites are deteriorating faster due to climate change, but local authorities and site managers have no reliable way to predict which structures are most at risk or how to prioritize limited restoration budgets. Current approaches are reactive — fix damage after it happens — rather than proactive, leading to higher costs and irreversible losses.

The solution

What was built

HYPERION built a decision support system that combines downscaled climate maps (1x1 km resolution), material-specific damage models, structural and hygrothermal simulation tools, an integrated monitoring sensor network, and vulnerability mapping. The system includes prototype probabilistic analysis tools linked to Eurocode 1 standards, with 41 deliverables in total demonstrated across 4 European heritage sites.

Audience

Who needs this

Municipal heritage and cultural property departments managing historic districtsSpecialized restoration and conservation engineering firmsProperty and catastrophe insurance companies covering heritage buildingsClimate risk consultancies serving the real estate sectorNational monument preservation agencies and UNESCO site administrators

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Heritage Site Management & Tourism

any

Target: Municipal heritage departments, UNESCO site managers, cultural tourism operators

If you are a heritage site manager dealing with accelerating climate damage to historic structures — this project developed a decision support system that downscales climate projections to 1x1 km resolution and pairs them with material-specific damage functions. It was demonstrated at 4 European historic areas across different climatic zones, giving you vulnerability maps and prioritized rehabilitation action plans instead of reactive emergency repairs.

Construction & Restoration Engineering

mid-size

Target: Specialized restoration firms, structural engineering consultancies, conservation architects

If you are a restoration firm struggling to predict which historic structures need intervention first and what materials will degrade fastest — this project built combined hygrothermal and structural analysis tools that model indoor climate, HVAC effects, and material stresses under future climate scenarios. With 41 deliverables including prototype probabilistic analysis tools, it lets you move from guesswork to data-driven restoration planning.

Insurance & Climate Risk Assessment

enterprise

Target: Property insurers, reinsurance firms, climate risk consultancies

If you are an insurer or risk consultancy needing granular climate damage projections for heritage and historic real estate portfolios — this project created downscaled climatic maps at 1x1 km resolution combined with structural vulnerability assessments. Tested across 4 climatic zones with 18 consortium partners, the system produces quantitative impact assessments that can feed directly into underwriting models and loss-prevention strategies.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this system for our heritage site or portfolio?

The project data does not include specific licensing or deployment pricing. As a publicly funded EU research project (RIA), the core tools were developed with public funds, which typically means favorable licensing terms. Contact the coordinator to discuss access and adaptation costs for your specific use case.

Can this scale beyond the 4 demonstration sites to cover an entire country or region?

The system was designed to downscale climate data to 1x1 km grids, which means it can technically cover any area where climate model inputs are available. It was validated across 4 different climatic zones (Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece), suggesting geographic scalability. Scaling to national coverage would require local climate data and site-specific material characterization.

Who owns the intellectual property, and can we license the tools?

IP from EU-funded RIA projects is typically owned by the consortium partners who developed each component. The consortium includes 18 partners across 8 countries, with 4 industry partners and 4 SMEs involved. Licensing arrangements would need to be discussed with the coordinating institution in Greece.

Does this comply with European heritage protection regulations?

The deliverable documentation explicitly references links with the regulatory framework, including Eurocode 1 standards. The prototype probabilistic analysis tools were designed to consider different ageing scenarios under climate change while aligning with existing structural codes.

How long does it take to set up the monitoring and assessment system for a new site?

Based on available project data, the system integrates monitoring sensors with simulation models and a data management platform. The project ran over 4 years (2019-2023) across 4 demonstration sites, but deployment at a new site would be faster since the methodology and tools are already developed. Exact timelines depend on site complexity and available historical data.

Can this integrate with our existing building management or GIS systems?

The project built a data management system and a resilience assessment platform that couples real-time monitoring data with simulated data. With 41 deliverables produced, integration interfaces were likely developed, but specific API or format compatibility would need to be confirmed with the development team.

Is there ongoing technical support or a user community?

The project included a social platform for community participation and public awareness. With 18 consortium partners including 6 universities and 2 research organizations, there is a substantial knowledge base. The project website (hyperion-project.eu) may provide access to documentation and contact channels.

Consortium

Who built it

The HYPERION consortium brings together 18 partners from 8 countries, with a mix of 6 universities, 2 research organizations, 4 industry players, and 6 other entities. The 4 SMEs and 22% industry ratio show meaningful private-sector involvement, though the project is primarily research-driven. The geographic spread across Switzerland, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Spain, Finland, Italy, and Norway ensures the tools were tested under diverse European climate conditions. The coordinator is a Greek research institute, which is common for EU-funded projects of this type. For a business looking to adopt these tools, the multi-country validation adds credibility, but commercialization would likely require partnering with one of the industry members who understand market delivery.

EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO SYSTIMATON EPIKOINONION KAI YPOLOGISTONCoordinator · EL
RISA SICHERHEITSANALYSEN GMBHparticipant · DE
ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKISparticipant · EL
ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNIONparticipant · EL
AYUNTAMIENTO DE GRANADAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADAparticipant · ES
COMUNE DI VENEZIAparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVAparticipant · IT
OSLOMET - STORBYUNIVERSITETETparticipant · NO
UNIVERSITA IUAV DI VENEZIAparticipant · IT
VESTFOLD OG TELEMARK FYLKESKOMMUNEparticipant · NO
DIMOS RODOUparticipant · EL
ILMATIETEEN LAITOSparticipant · FI
RESILIENCE GUARD GMBHparticipant · CH
CY.R.I.C CYPRUS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION CENTER LTDparticipant · CY
RED SPAparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

The coordinator is a Greek research institute (EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO SYSTIMATON EPIKOINONION KAI YPOLOGISTON). Use the CORDIS contact form or project website to reach them.

Order a report on this consortium See EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO SYSTIMATON EPIKOINONION KAI YPOLOGISTON profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the HYPERION team to discuss licensing the climate risk tools or the decision support system for your heritage portfolio? SciTransfer can arrange a direct connection.

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