SUSTAINABLE RESTORATION: SURVEY AND ANALYSIS OF THE BARON EMPAIN PALACE, CAIRO, EGYPT

This study examines how the restoration of Baron Empain palace brings about a sustainable and cultural node. It aims to assess the sustainability of the restored palace in terms of environmental, social, economic, and cultural aspects. The methodology depends on two approaches: a review of the case study and survey based on site visits. The cultural impact was mapped on the social media using Data Scraping technique. Results show that social and cultural values are prioritized, and the youth present 71% of visitors/hr amidst COVID-19. The energy audit indicates that annual consumption of the ground, first and roof floors is 69.7, 34.7, 9.6 kWh/m2 respectively, hence, meets RIBA benchmark. For economic sustainability, 38 direct jobs, and 1400 indirect jobs were created. For cultural survey, it shows that the total word counts on Instagram and Twitter are 548 and 3168 respectively. The restoration highlights the significance of the transformation and attains SDGs 4, 7, 9, 11, 12, and 13. © 2021, Luciano Editore. All rights reserved.

Sustainability assessment of restored historic buildings: Case study of Baron Empain Palace in Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt – Representation analysis of the building and site

The study examines the sustainability of a restored historical building – Baron Empain Palace in Heliopolis, Cairo in terms of its environmental, social, and economic aspects as well as cultural impacts. It assesses how the restoration of a deserted palace brings about a sustainable and cultural node, yet transforms the landscape use and sustains the district’s heritage. Two approaches were exploited to assess the historical building: the first approach is inductive (review of the case study before and after restoration, its impacts on livability);and second is a field approach based on site visits to collect data on the environmental and energy consumption (energy audit);social sustainability (visitors’ patterns);and economic sustainability (jobs opportunity). Results revealed that the social and cultural values prioritized and the youth represents 71% of the visitors/hr during COVID-19. The environmental and energy audit assessment shows that the restoration met RIBA’s energy efficiency benchmark (50kWh/m2 (good) and 70kWh/m2 (typical)). For the economic sustainability, tickets are affordable and the palace creates 38 jobs. The social media analysis indicates a high interaction. The restored palace is a unique example of adhering to the city’s cultural values. Finally, it shows the significance for historical palace transformation on the community.