Abstract

The built environment plays a significant role within the discourse surrounding the climate change crisis, serving both as a contributor to carbon emissions and, paradoxically, as a progressive force to mitigate its impact. As the global climate change crisis becomes more pressing, the importance of sustainable intervention is rising, leading to intensified debates over the conflicting viewpoints regarding its implementation on listed buildings. Nonetheless, the evolution of listed buildings remains a contentious topic, with some advocating for changes to historical structures while others vehemently oppose such alterations. With the integration of photovoltaic panels being an example of a sustainable intervention on a listed building, an investigation into the impact this has on cultural significance provides an enhanced comprehension of people’s perspectives towards the alteration of buildings with notable heritage value, particularly in a society that progressively prioritises the environment – helping to ensure a balance between sustainability and heritage preservation. The investigation was conducted through an analysis of the integration of photovoltaic panels onto the roof of York Minster, in which a historical lens was employed to assess the impact of previously completed interventions on the building, alongside an examination of the visual aspects of the panels. It was discovered that various interpretations of the impact on overall cultural significance can be understood as a result of the implementation, emphasising the subjectivity of cultural significance as a value-based concept. Furthermore, it was found that amid the backdrop of the global climate change crisis, the proactive measures undertaken by the organisations responsible for listed edifices to conduct building alterations with a focus on sustainability, where historically they sought simply to preserve, arguably underscores the collective failure of humanity to respond to the climate crisis with the urgency it demands

Keywords

Climate change, Sustainable intervention, Built environment, Listed buildings, Heritage preservation, Cultural significance, Photovoltaic panels, York Minster

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