Restoration of Fort Napoleon started
The soldiers who built the fort in the nineteenth century solidly put the structure together with bricks and lime mortar. When the fort was a complete ruin in the 1990s, it was restored with cement and that now appears to be disastrous. “The fort was built 200 years ago with lime concrete. Salt and moisture can get through it,” says Simon Callebart of Herita, who will lead the restoration. “Cement now appears to be a real barrier and salt and moisture remain behind it.”
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Now Herita again opts for lime mortar and especially protective planting on top of the belt wall. In Great Britain they have been experimenting since the 1980s with the technique of protecting ruins more naturally and keeping them drier with a green roof. Fort Napoleon will look different and especially greener in 2 years.