KERES

Protecting cultural heritage from extreme climate events and increasing resilience

Heat and drought increase the risk of major fires, while heavy rain is increasingly leading to floods - the forest fires in Brandenburg in 2020 and the flood of the century in Central Europe in 2002, which caused billions in damage in Dresden alone, are just two examples. Which extreme weather events can be expected in Germany in the future? How can damage to irretrievable historical sites be avoided? Which measures are successful in the long term and also make economic sense?

The »KERES« project, funded by the BMBF, will conduct research for the first time in Germany over a period of three years on the future regional relevance of extreme weather events with regard to expected damage to buildings and outdoor facilities. In addition, measures for avoiding and coping with acute damage situations are proposed in the project.

The knowledge gained in the project is bundled on a knowledge platform that is intended to support cultural heritage institutions in both prevention and emergency management. The structuring, linking and visual processing of data is central here in order to be able to carry out a risk assessment and prioritization of rescue measures and thus facilitate decision-making processes. Rescue measures can also be coordinated via the mobile app and voluntary helpers can be involved.

The basis for the success of the project will be the interdisciplinary cooperation in the project team. Under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC and the Fraunhofer EU Office Brussels, GERICS is working on the project with three other Fraunhofer Institutes from the Cultural Heritage Research Alliance (Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy IMW, Fraunhofer -Institute for Optronics, System Technology and Image Evaluation IOSB) as well as with the Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten Berlin-Brandenburg (Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation Berlin-Brandenburg).

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