FENIX Project
FENIX is an applied research project that develops practical tools to help cultural heritage institutions prepare for and respond to natural and human-made disasters. Led by Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, the project builds on ART-RISK, which received a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in 2021, and extends its risk analysis models into operational emergency planning and training.
The project was shaped by recent catastrophes that exposed weaknesses in heritage protection, including extreme weather events in Spain. The objective is to reduce damage to cultural heritage by improving preparedness, coordination and decision-making before, during and after an emergency.
FENIX is built around an integrated digital toolbox structured around five complementary tools: structural vulnerability assessment supported by AI-based modelling, climate and environmental risk analysis using open satellite data, emergency management software, documentation systems for evacuation procedures, and serious gaming environments for training. The system helps institutions assess vulnerability and plan evacuation procedures. A dedicated platform records decisions taken during drills and emergency simulations, so that actions can later be reviewed and improved.
The tools are tested using real heritage sites as “living laboratories”. These include emergency exercises at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Antequera Dolmens, the Monastery of San Zoilo in Antequera, the Royal Tapestry Factory in Madrid and other museums and archives in southern Spain. These simulations covered fire, flooding and seismic events. Interdisciplinary teams work together under realistic conditions, bringing together heritage professionals, firefighters, civil protection authorities, police and medical services. Schools and university students take part in workshops linked to the simulations, introducing younger generations to heritage risk management. In one exercise, even a nearby nursing home was involved to test coordination beyond the heritage sector.
More than 2,000 participants have taken part in training sessions and drills. The project led to Spain’s first comprehensive emergency safeguarding plan for a World Heritage Site. It also produced open-access tools and practical guidelines, and opened cooperation with partners in Europe and Latin America.
The Awards’ Jury highlighted: “FENIX combines innovative tools, like AI and open satellite technology, with practical emergency training to protect cultural heritage from natural and human-made disasters. More than 2,000 participants have taken part in large-scale exercises at heritage sites, and the project presents a methodology that many European countries have yet to develop.”
FENIX [PID2019-107257RB-I00] / FENIX 4.0 [PDC2022-133157-I00] were funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación del Gobierno de España and NextGenerationEU fundings.
Contact: Pilar Ortiz Calderón | University of Pablo de Olavide | mportcal@upo.es | www.upo.es/investiga/art-risk-en/proyecto-fenix/index.html , www.upo.es/investiga/art-risk-en/proyecto-fenix-40/