60
Restoration
REGGIO DI CALABRIA
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
To achieve the expected results already outlined in the previous section, the qualifying educational objectives of the workshop and the specific objectives of each module are presented below.
Qualifying Educational Objectives
The workshop aims to provide knowledge and skills in design for the enhancement and communication of cultural and territorial heritage, with particular attention to the specific features of contexts characterized by a deep stratification of material and immaterial values. The educational objectives will be achieved through a design experience based on a case study chosen by the student and shared across the three modules. The case study will be the subject of theoretical and design-oriented in-depth analyses in order to provide undergraduate students with the necessary skills to operate within the complex relationship between design, cultural heritage protection requirements, and the needs connected to urban regeneration.
Specific Objectives
At the end of the module, undergraduate students will have acquired specific skills and competencies to:
- understand and interpret the material and immaterial culture of territorial contexts, based on the most up-to-date theoretical frameworks at national and international levels;
- describe the history and value of the cultural, environmental, and historical-artistic heritage of a given territorial context, identifying both the needs for protection and preservation on the one hand, and the processes of disseminating local values on the other;
- identify the qualities, forms, and values of a given heritage culture, in order to work within design teams focused on the reuse, conservation, and enhancement of historical sites and artifacts, integrating cultural heritage with contemporary design and art.
Course Prerequisites
The student must be able to undertake the laboratory experience having acquired the following basic knowledge:
- Cultural tools and design methodologies from the laboratories and single-subject courses of the first year.
- Knowledge gained in the courses on the history of architecture, design, drawing, and visual communication.
At the beginning of the course, the instructor will verify whether the prerequisites are met; if any deficiencies are found, they will inform the Coordinator in order to identify the appropriate methods for remediation.
Teaching Methods
1_ TYPE OF EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Lectures (hours/year in class): 35
Exercises (hours/year in class): 4
Practical activities (hours/year in class): 15
Seminars: 6
2_ STUDENT’S INDEPENDENT WORK
In-depth study/reading of bibliography (theoretical part): 35
Development of thematic maps on case study: 35
Exam preparation: 20
Assessment Methods
"The exam will focus on the content of the module, on topics of educational interest for further study, and on the shared practical project experience. Below are the evaluation criteria for the minimum knowledge/skills required to pass the exam:
- 30 - 30 with honors: achievement of a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered, presented with critical ability and more than appropriate language, and an excellent ability to apply the acquired knowledge to the design/project experience.
- 26 - 29: non-rote knowledge; good synthesis and analysis skills; correct language, though not entirely appropriate; good ability to apply knowledge to the design/project experience.
- 22 - 25: mostly rote knowledge; synthesis and analysis skills not fully developed; partially appropriate language; partial ability to apply the acquired knowledge to the design/project experience.
- 18 - 21: sufficient knowledge of the topics, with some gaps in training and/or language that is not always appropriate; sufficiently developed ability to apply knowledge.
- Insufficient: major gaps in training; inability to present concepts in an articulated way; inappropriate language; inability to apply knowledge to the project.
Texts
E. Lupo, Il design per i beni culturali. Pratiche e processi innovativi di valorizzazione, Franco Angeli, Milano 2009
S. Costa, P. Cordera, D. Poulot (a cura di), Storytelling. Esperienze e comunicazione del Cultural Heritage, Bologna University Press, Bologna 2022
During the course, additional teaching materials and recommended texts will be provided.
Contents
1_DESCRIPTION
The module aims to address and deepen the themes of architectural conservation, identifying the possible contributions of Design within projects for the enhancement, communication, promotion, enjoyment, and both physical and cognitive accessibility of Cultural Heritage. Particular reference is made to the development of innovative strategies capable of bridging ancient and contemporary, tradition and innovation, and capable of triggering socioeconomic development processes within the territory.
The specific characteristics of a territory — from its historical-artistic heritage to environmental resources and local material culture — represent a system of values that, in addition to requiring proper protection measures, also demand careful attention to strategies for their enhancement and promotion. In this scenario, the action of Design can operate at different scales — from product to service to strategic frameworks — following a variety of design approaches in which design is understood as a multidimensional tool of intervention. The module will explore this scope through surveys of case studies and through experimentation in selected specific cases, aimed at identifying approaches and solutions capable of enhancing cultural heritage by increasing its accessibility, strengthening local identity, and expanding its strategic role in the territorial economy.
2_COURSE PROGRAM
The course will address the following topics:
- The concept of time and the definition of cultural heritage
- Protection, restoration, conservation, enhancement: key definitions
- The evolution of the relationship with cultural heritage through the centuries
- The concepts of authenticity and reproducibility
- From cultural heritage to Cultural Heritage: the role of communities; the Faro Convention
- The concepts of cultural identity and stratification
- The role of Design in the communication and enhancement of Cultural Heritage
- Accessibility to Cultural Heritage: physical, cognitive, and sensory
- Methodologies for understanding and interpreting Cultural Heritage
- Reading and analysis of stratified urban spaces
- Guidelines and strategies for the enhancement of Cultural Heritage: storytelling vs. historytelling
3_EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Knowledge and understanding
- Ability to analyze cultural heritage in order to correctly recognize and interpret its historical and testimonial values.
Applying knowledge and understanding
- Ability to develop a design and exhibition approach attentive to aspects related to protection, conservation, and the proper presentation and communication of cultural assets.
- Ability to connect design choices with the theoretical principles of Cultural Heritage disciplines.
Autonomy of judgment
- Ability to recognize the testimonial values of built heritage in relation to the principles guiding protection.
- Ability to independently define design strategies.
Communication skills
- Ability to independently communicate theoretical issues related to the conservation and enhancement of Cultural Heritage, while developing one’s own critical perspective.
Learning skills
- Ability to acquire the vocabulary and principles of Cultural Heritage conservation necessary to develop design applications with a high degree of autonomy.