DuMo: How to assess the sustainability of historical buildings?

Sustaining historical buildings, with their high energy consumption, does not easily align with the ambition to promote sustainability in the built environment. In this paper we delineate the dynamics and strategies that spring from this basic tension, by following the development and use of a dedicated valuation method. Our method is derived from both Actor Network Theory and the Dynamics of Standards. The Dutch DuMo-method seeks to balance the historical value and energy performance of historical buildings in a combined metric. The historical value is assessed with expert judgment of the so-called 'touchability' of the building, expressed in a multiplying factor, whereas sustainability is measured with Greencalc+, a quantitative environmental assessment method.