Università Roma Tre

The Architectural Heritage Restoration Laboratory represents the culminating experience within a specific experimental educational field, part of the Master’s Degree Program in Architecture–Restoration. This educational field focuses on the architectural design of restoration for enhancement purposes, and is structured as a sequence of autonomous but coordinated courses arranged in temporal succession. Specifically, the Laboratory continues and deepens the design work initiated in the Architectural Restoration Laboratory of the previous semester, with the aim of consolidating the knowledge and skills required for both professional development and the preparation of the master’s thesis.The general theme of this educational field is the development of digital systems that, through the technical operation of restoration, support planned conservation and the enhancement of the historic urban landscape and the architectures it contains. The specific learning objectives involve acquiring the tools and methods of restoration and enhancement, within an inter-scalar perspective—ranging from the city to urban districts, to architectural structures, both monumental and vernacular, and focusing on their material components, which convey historical, artistic, cultural, and anthropological values and meanings. The teaching approach of the Architectural Heritage Restoration Laboratory, closely integrated with the teaching of the Architecture and Landscapes module, is aimed at guiding students through the restoration design process—beginning with historical-critical analysis and documentation, and culminating in technical and cultural intervention proposals. These proposals are developed in line with the guidelines of the New Public Procurement Code and in the context of the operational strategy of preventive and planned conservation of heritage and the historical landscape in which it is embedded. Therefore, the course deepens theoretical knowledge and fosters practical skills in the fields of restoration, enhancement, and the processual history of architecture and the city, adopting a contemporary vision centered on the methodology of design research—that is, scientific inquiry aimed at generating knowledge through the critical and cognitive process inherent in restoration design. The Laboratory also focuses on the historical knowledge of construction techniques and architectural and settlement typologies, analyzing how these have formed and evolved over time. This foundational knowledge is accompanied by analytical and synthetic skills developed within the realm of digital culture. In particular, the course explores:
• the creation and management of thematic cartographic archives;
• the structuring and characterization of analytical and design data using standard data archiving languages in database environments;
• and 3D finite-component modeling related to documentation, compositional-structural analysis, and restoration interventions for architectural contexts and structures, with the dual goal of enhancement and conservation.

F. GIOVANETTI [ed.], Manuale del Recupero del Comune di Roma, 2nd expanded edition, DEI, Rome 1997 (in appendix
- P. MARCONI, Matter and Meaning. The question of architectural restoration, Laterza, Bari 1999.
- L. ZEVI [ed.], Handbook of Architectural Restoration, Mancosu, Rome 2001.
- A. PUGLIANO, Il Riconoscimento, la Documentazione, il Catalogo dei Beni Architettonici. Elements of a constituting Thesaurus useful for the Knowledge, Protection, and Conservation of Architecture, 2 vols. Prospettive edizioni, Rome 2009.
- P. MARCONI, Restoration of monuments - Culture, projects and construction sites 1967-2010, Gangemi, Rome 2012.
A. PUGLIANO [ed.], Organized forms of knowledge and active conservation of Heritage and Landscape, "Ricerche di Storia dell'arte," 134, Carocci, Rome 2021
SIRA EXECUTIVE BOARD 2022–2024, Architectural Restoration. Toward Quality-Driven Design.
Guidelines for the Quality of Architectural Restoration Projects, resulting from the 3rd Conference of the Italian Society for Architectural Restoration, Naples, 15–16 June 2023.
https://sira-restauroarchitettonico.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/SIRA_Documento-di-indirizzo_Versione-1_31072023.pdf

The module, integral to and closely coordinated with the other activities of the Laboratory, addresses methods for the reading, analysis and interpretation of historical architecture and landscapes in relation to restoration design.
Within this framework, architectural restoration is understood as a ‘project of knowledge’, in which the cognitive phase does not constitute a preliminary and separate stage, but rather forms an integral and structuring component of the design process. Accordingly, the course adopts an inter-scalar approach –from territory to landscape, to the city, to the urban fabric, and to the building, whether monumental or part of the ordinary built environment –grounded in the historical-critical interpretation of formative processes, material stratifications and transformations. Particular attention is paid to construction techniques and components, as well as to the historical, artistic, cultural and anthropological values they embody.
Teaching is delivered primarily through seminars, supported by targeted lectures, and addresses theoretical, technical, regulatory and operational aspects, in accordance with the Italian Cultural Heritage and Landscape Code and the Public Procurement Code, within the perspective of preventive and planned conservation. The module is developed on the same case studies as those addressed in the Architectural Heritage Restoration Laboratory.
Within this context, particular emphasis is placed on the study of archaeological parks and historic urban green spaces, in line with the specific characteristics of the selected contexts. The module supports the development of knowledge-based outputs, including thematic cartography, two- and three-dimensional drawings of architecture and landscape, and the preparation of technical written documentation. To this end, students are introduced to methods of historical analysis – particularly process-based approaches – and are guided in the informed use of specialist literature, treatises, regulatory frameworks, and digital systems for representation and cataloguing, in accordance with shared standards.

The course entitled ‘Theories of Architectural Research’ intends to place itself within the teaching lines and research of the Architecture Department and its educational offer, and in direct connection with the cultural setting and the ideal inspirations of the Research Doctorate “Architecture: Heritage and Innovation”.
Particular attention will be placed on the issues of the built, archaeological and artistic heritage that cannot be conserved, maintained or innovated without a strong theoretical and critical awareness, as can be seen in the tradition of Italian and European architectural culture.
With the Course of ‘Theories of Architectural Research’ we intend to supply architecture students with a contribution in this direction, that is with the knowledge that Theory is a fundamental and autonomous part of the Architectural Discipline, through a set of specifically chosen Theories, individual reflections, books, manuals, constructed and paper projects. The Theory of Architecture is neither a “how to” guide nor a justification that follows the establishment of an architecture, but rather a stand-alone instance of architectural thought.

a lot of information about the contents and results of course can be found in the blog: http://articiviche.blogspot.com/

- Franco la Cecla, Perdersi, l'uomo senza ambiente, Laterza, Bari, 1988
- Francesco Careri, Walkscapes. Camminare come pratica estetica, Einaudi, Torino 2006.
- Emanuele Coccia, La vita delle piante. Metafisica della mescolanza, il Mulino, Bologna 2018
- Camillo Boano, Progetto Minore. Alla ricerca della minorità nel progetto urbanistico ed architettonico, LetteraVentidue, Siracusa 2020