Communication and dissemination

Communication and dissemination

HeriTACT: Chronicles of a kickoff

HeriTACT: Chronicles of a kickoff

30 de marzo de 2023

By Anna Higueras, Project Manager. (Originally published in English)

Key points before reading ;)

  • We dive into the principles of the European New Bauhaus among its multiple action plans, such as the NEB Compass.

  • Inclusion as a way to enhance democratic participation in urban heritage.

  • Replicable HeriTACT solutions from other contexts.

  • How will they be implemented in the perspective of cultural heritage?

  • Global coffee workshop to activate the pilot sites.


A few days ago, we held a very special kickoff meeting in Milan for the HeriTACT project, a project funded by the EU under the auspices of the European New Bauhaus initiative (NEB for its English acronym).  HeriTACT aims to bridge the past and future of urban heritage in a more inclusive, sustainable and participatory way.

These days have been an opportunity to get to know the Consortium -composed of University of Patras (UoP), Mayo County Council, Accelerating Change Together (ACT), University College Dublin (UCD), Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), Stefano Boeri Architetti, THINGS, MENTOR in Culture, 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, Municipality of Elefsina, Comune di Milano, Aegean University, European Network of Cultural Centers, LAND and us, Ideas for Change – and to start with the right spirit: sunny, collaborative, participating in interactive and practical activities, and sharing knowledge and ideas to ensure a smooth start and achieve the ambitious but exciting goals of the project.

During the first day of the meeting, the coordination team from the University of Patras had the opportunity to give an insight into how we will organize internally over the next 36 months: project management, technological and economic reporting, online and in-person meetings, consortium governance, all very important elements to ensure that the project operates smoothly and effectively. We then moved on to the creative and exciting part. In essence, HeriTACT will present innovative and inclusive architectural design solutions, as well as cultural and artistic practices to support environmental, cultural and social sustainability and strengthen the creative industries through community awareness and policy-making in the European urban areas located in: Milan (Italy), Ballina (Ireland), and Elefsina (Greece).

We delved into the principles of NEB, thanks to the presentation by our partner University College Dublin, immersing ourselves in highly relevant initiatives and guidelines such as the NEB Compass, a guiding framework for decision-makers and projects.



Additionally, we learned about accessibility, usability and inclusion from the University of Aegean, a fundamental aspect of the project, as inclusion is key to a representative and successful participation and engagement strategy. Following this point, the partners responsible for providing the various tools to be integrated into the HeriTACT Toolkit, practices that will enable active citizen participation in the reactivation of their cultural heritage, presented an overview of the same:

The ParticiMap tool, developed by UCD, is an open-source participatory mapping tool to empower local communities and enable proactive dialogue with stakeholders about the repurposing and enhancement of cultural heritage while promoting participation through the use of advanced digital technologies.

  • The SustainTAG tool, developed by ACT, will help local actors map actions, through global SDGs, by developing an innovative tagging system and incorporating augmented reality and virtual reality with co-design practices.

  • The UserSence tool, developed by AEGEAN, will bring to HeriTACT the use of dedicated sensors for users' psychophysiological signals, serving as indicators of users' emotional states during their experience with the products, tools or services being developed and tested.

  • The DesignYourHeritage tool, developed by IAAC, will provide a palette of NEB solutions along with a three-dimensional model of the HERITACT pilots to boost participatory co-design processes through a playful approach. The palette will include an impact score for various indicators such as sustainability, aesthetic quality, inclusion, and a description of the solutions.

  • The HERICraft tool, developed by UCD, an open-source tool based on the Minecraft approach, will provide a new way to represent the built cultural environment, extending its application to any regeneration project carried out by municipalities where active participation from local communities is sought.

  • The Fund4Act tool, developed by ACT, will enhance decentralized financing and act as a facilitator for creative work (film, music, art, theatre, games, comics, design, photography), cultural products and sustainable solutions. The tool offers an end-to-end solution for fundraising in this domain, including tracking and recording functionalities. The NegoDesign tool, developed by UCD, is inspired by GeoDesign Hub and will be used by local partners when conducting digital negotiation workshops in each of the three cities. The participatory element of these workshops will give the community and stakeholders a voice and an opportunity to come together, collaborate, and negotiate through geodesign methods to reimagine the space and produce a joint vision for a more community-centered use of urban areas. Overall, NegoDesign will represent an open-source game-based tool for collaborative decision-making through systemic thinking.


On the first day, we explored the different phases that the pilot cities will undertake, such as the co-recognition and co-envision phase in which mapping and activation of the actors will be carried out, as well as community recognition. This will be followed by the creation of HeriTACT Hubs. A systems dynamics modeling approach will be developed to analyze loops and behaviors. Finally, we will embark on co-imagination practices. These actions will be carried out by local partners, MENTOR, ACT and the University of Patras.


After these discussions, the last activity of the day was dedicated to a speed dating activity through the tool DesignYourHeritage, led by IACC. This collective exercise allowed each of the tool providers to briefly present their opportunities and potential to the 3 pilot cities (Milan, Elefsina, Ballina) and begin to project needs and angles for the pilot development phase. The ideas were as inspiring as, for example, the possibility of generating and experiencing music from rainwater in Mayo :) The second day of kickoff was as exciting as the first. It was an amazing marathon of understanding the different solutions that can be adapted to the pilot sites:

i) Mobile urban furniture, ii) Digitally fabricated garden, iii) Design and development of temporary structures from recycled material (IAAC)

Reactivation of open spaces through Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) (LAND)

i) Design and development of a small-scale Pavilion structure, ii) Projection mapping on kinetic surfaces, iii) Virtual exhibition archive, iv) Design and development of green tensegrity installations (UoP)

Enriched human-place interaction with augmented reality (THINGS)

Activation events (ACT)

Finally, we also had time to explore how the impact assessment will be implemented, along with a specific dimension dedicated to social inclusion and how it will be evaluated, and the dissemination and communication strategy that will be followed.

As a grand finale, the third and last day was dedicated to the joint event with our sister project funded under the same NEB call, Palimpsest, which is dedicated to regenerating lost sustainability wisdom in heritage landscapes through co-creation. The session was a very good opportunity to hear from representatives from the European Commission, the team making NEB and similar projects a reality about transforming urban areas into livable futures.


That was a summary and a warm welcome under the iconic city of Milan. Thanks to the University of Patras, Comune di Milano, and LAND for coordinating and managing the event. Now is the time for action! We will begin addressing the steps to bring the NEB vision to life by reinventing experiments with heritage: making it beautiful, sustainable, with everyone ;)

By Anna Higueras, Project Manager. (Originally published in English)

Key points before reading ;)

  • We dive into the principles of the European New Bauhaus among its multiple action plans, such as the NEB Compass.

  • Inclusion as a way to enhance democratic participation in urban heritage.

  • Replicable HeriTACT solutions from other contexts.

  • How will they be implemented in the perspective of cultural heritage?

  • Global coffee workshop to activate the pilot sites.


A few days ago, we held a very special kickoff meeting in Milan for the HeriTACT project, a project funded by the EU under the auspices of the European New Bauhaus initiative (NEB for its English acronym).  HeriTACT aims to bridge the past and future of urban heritage in a more inclusive, sustainable and participatory way.

These days have been an opportunity to get to know the Consortium -composed of University of Patras (UoP), Mayo County Council, Accelerating Change Together (ACT), University College Dublin (UCD), Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), Stefano Boeri Architetti, THINGS, MENTOR in Culture, 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, Municipality of Elefsina, Comune di Milano, Aegean University, European Network of Cultural Centers, LAND and us, Ideas for Change – and to start with the right spirit: sunny, collaborative, participating in interactive and practical activities, and sharing knowledge and ideas to ensure a smooth start and achieve the ambitious but exciting goals of the project.

During the first day of the meeting, the coordination team from the University of Patras had the opportunity to give an insight into how we will organize internally over the next 36 months: project management, technological and economic reporting, online and in-person meetings, consortium governance, all very important elements to ensure that the project operates smoothly and effectively. We then moved on to the creative and exciting part. In essence, HeriTACT will present innovative and inclusive architectural design solutions, as well as cultural and artistic practices to support environmental, cultural and social sustainability and strengthen the creative industries through community awareness and policy-making in the European urban areas located in: Milan (Italy), Ballina (Ireland), and Elefsina (Greece).

We delved into the principles of NEB, thanks to the presentation by our partner University College Dublin, immersing ourselves in highly relevant initiatives and guidelines such as the NEB Compass, a guiding framework for decision-makers and projects.



Additionally, we learned about accessibility, usability and inclusion from the University of Aegean, a fundamental aspect of the project, as inclusion is key to a representative and successful participation and engagement strategy. Following this point, the partners responsible for providing the various tools to be integrated into the HeriTACT Toolkit, practices that will enable active citizen participation in the reactivation of their cultural heritage, presented an overview of the same:

The ParticiMap tool, developed by UCD, is an open-source participatory mapping tool to empower local communities and enable proactive dialogue with stakeholders about the repurposing and enhancement of cultural heritage while promoting participation through the use of advanced digital technologies.

  • The SustainTAG tool, developed by ACT, will help local actors map actions, through global SDGs, by developing an innovative tagging system and incorporating augmented reality and virtual reality with co-design practices.

  • The UserSence tool, developed by AEGEAN, will bring to HeriTACT the use of dedicated sensors for users' psychophysiological signals, serving as indicators of users' emotional states during their experience with the products, tools or services being developed and tested.

  • The DesignYourHeritage tool, developed by IAAC, will provide a palette of NEB solutions along with a three-dimensional model of the HERITACT pilots to boost participatory co-design processes through a playful approach. The palette will include an impact score for various indicators such as sustainability, aesthetic quality, inclusion, and a description of the solutions.

  • The HERICraft tool, developed by UCD, an open-source tool based on the Minecraft approach, will provide a new way to represent the built cultural environment, extending its application to any regeneration project carried out by municipalities where active participation from local communities is sought.

  • The Fund4Act tool, developed by ACT, will enhance decentralized financing and act as a facilitator for creative work (film, music, art, theatre, games, comics, design, photography), cultural products and sustainable solutions. The tool offers an end-to-end solution for fundraising in this domain, including tracking and recording functionalities. The NegoDesign tool, developed by UCD, is inspired by GeoDesign Hub and will be used by local partners when conducting digital negotiation workshops in each of the three cities. The participatory element of these workshops will give the community and stakeholders a voice and an opportunity to come together, collaborate, and negotiate through geodesign methods to reimagine the space and produce a joint vision for a more community-centered use of urban areas. Overall, NegoDesign will represent an open-source game-based tool for collaborative decision-making through systemic thinking.


On the first day, we explored the different phases that the pilot cities will undertake, such as the co-recognition and co-envision phase in which mapping and activation of the actors will be carried out, as well as community recognition. This will be followed by the creation of HeriTACT Hubs. A systems dynamics modeling approach will be developed to analyze loops and behaviors. Finally, we will embark on co-imagination practices. These actions will be carried out by local partners, MENTOR, ACT and the University of Patras.


After these discussions, the last activity of the day was dedicated to a speed dating activity through the tool DesignYourHeritage, led by IACC. This collective exercise allowed each of the tool providers to briefly present their opportunities and potential to the 3 pilot cities (Milan, Elefsina, Ballina) and begin to project needs and angles for the pilot development phase. The ideas were as inspiring as, for example, the possibility of generating and experiencing music from rainwater in Mayo :) The second day of kickoff was as exciting as the first. It was an amazing marathon of understanding the different solutions that can be adapted to the pilot sites:

i) Mobile urban furniture, ii) Digitally fabricated garden, iii) Design and development of temporary structures from recycled material (IAAC)

Reactivation of open spaces through Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) (LAND)

i) Design and development of a small-scale Pavilion structure, ii) Projection mapping on kinetic surfaces, iii) Virtual exhibition archive, iv) Design and development of green tensegrity installations (UoP)

Enriched human-place interaction with augmented reality (THINGS)

Activation events (ACT)

Finally, we also had time to explore how the impact assessment will be implemented, along with a specific dimension dedicated to social inclusion and how it will be evaluated, and the dissemination and communication strategy that will be followed.

As a grand finale, the third and last day was dedicated to the joint event with our sister project funded under the same NEB call, Palimpsest, which is dedicated to regenerating lost sustainability wisdom in heritage landscapes through co-creation. The session was a very good opportunity to hear from representatives from the European Commission, the team making NEB and similar projects a reality about transforming urban areas into livable futures.


That was a summary and a warm welcome under the iconic city of Milan. Thanks to the University of Patras, Comune di Milano, and LAND for coordinating and managing the event. Now is the time for action! We will begin addressing the steps to bring the NEB vision to life by reinventing experiments with heritage: making it beautiful, sustainable, with everyone ;)