At first glance, two seemingly contradictory fields of research are united in one research cluster: viewed from the here and now, sustainable building appears to belong to the future-oriented disciplines, while historical building research appears to be a retrospective approach. Both disciplines are denied an important component of genuine sustainability: learning from the past for the future. Innovation is based on experience, sustainable construction on knowledge of the existing building stock and its potential.

In order to design buildings, infrastructure and settlements sustainably from an ecological, economic and socio-cultural perspective, open-ended interdisciplinary approaches and innovative solutions are required, both for the planning of new structures and for the refurbishment and modernisation of existing ones. Efficient use of resources such as soil, materials and energy promotes resilience to climate change and enables the design of pleasant living spaces for a diverse society. Existing buildings and infrastructure are recognised as an important resource, for which meaningful patterns of action that promote the common good can only be formulated with in-depth knowledge of the individual building history, construction and urban planning context. The linking of sustainable building and historical building research in the NBHB research cluster enables the derivation of structural, technological and building culture measures for the future from a holistic perspective.

The research cluster brings together researchers from different disciplines who are concerned with the responsible handling of existing buildings, ensembles and neighbourhoods. The thematic spectrum ranges from architecture, historical building research, building climatology, land management, surveying and urban land-use planning to engineering sciences. Cross-disciplinary approaches allow a new way of thinking together, whereby innovative methods of recording, planning and monitoring can be researched:Only with the networked competences of the various experts can research fields such as the use of renewable energies in listed city districts, sustainable land management in urban and rural contexts, the simulation of the effect of green façades on urban living spaces or issues in the context of international building research and monument preservation be approached in such a way that both breadth and depth of consideration are achieved. The cluster bundles the multitude of perspectives into a focus, expertise into a knowledge repository and disciplinary methods into collaborative expertise.