Architecture (Conservation)

The course aims to provide the notions of theory and history of restoration, guarantee skills of analytical understanding, historical and constructive investigation of architecture, reading and diagnosis of degradation phenomena, conservative intervention, providing the knowledge and critical skills necessary for the drafting of the conservation project. The course is divided into lessons and laboratory activities. The set of traditional ex-cathedra lessons, on methodological and more general problems, will therefore be integrated by application activities. The activities will have a building, or a significant part of it, as a case of study. The building will have conservation problems and will guarantees the possibility of conducting a direct survey, philological and historical-critical reading, analyses relating to the state of degradation of materials, the planning of the intervention proposals. Topic of the lessons: Theory of conservation; traditional techniques and materials for architecture; conservation of ruins; masonry, dimensional and typological analysis of artistic/historical buildings; degradation analysis and degradation causes (diagnostic analysis); the conservation project (preconsolidation, cleaning, consolidation, integration, protection); the reuse of artistic/historic buildings.

Adequate knowledge of the basic concepts of ancient and medieval history of architecture and of manual and instrumental survey techniques. Appropriate critical equipment to understand the architecture.

Texts developed by the teacher will be available through the e-learning platform. Bellanca C.; Mora Alonso-Munoyerro S., Heritage Problems, Causes and Solutions, Sapienza Università Editrice, Roma 2023

Mandatory attendance

At the end of the course, during the exam, the student will have to present, through the illustration of all the graphic works prepared during the course, the development of his conservation project, starting from the historical investigation carried out on the historical artistic building subject to the intervention. The student will be asked to explain the investigations carried out (masonry, dimensional, material, typological) and will illustrate the analyses relating to the degradation of the building and the consequent conservative restoration project and possible reuse. During the exam interview, the professor will ask to delve into individual aspects of the work carried out, with particular attention to the 'critical' motivations on which the intervention proposal was based.

On stone conservation Lazzarini, L., M. Laurenzi Tabasso (1986), Il restauro della pietra, CEDAM, Padova Stone Conservation Overviews Amoroso, G. G., and V. Fassina. 1983. Stone Decay and Conservation: Atmospheric Pollution, Cleaning, Consolidation, and Protection. Materials Science Monographs 11. Amsterdam and New York: Elsevier. Fassina, V., ed. 2000. Proceedings of the 9th International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone, Venice, June 19–24, 2000. Amsterdam and New York: Elsevier. Conservazione della pietra, trattamenti Cameron, S. 1997. Biological Growths on Sandstone Buildings: Control and Treatment. Historic Scotland Technical Advice Notes 10. Edinburgh: Historic Scotland. Laurenzi Tabasso, M. 2004. Products and methods for the conservation of stone: Problems and trends. In Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on Deterioration and Conservation of Stone, Stockholm, June 27–July 2, 2004, ed. D. Kwiatkowski and R. Löfvendahl, vol. 1, 269–82. Stockholm: ICOMOS Sweden. Laurenzi Tabasso, M., and Simon S. 2006. Testing methods and criteria for the selection/evaluation of products for the conservation of porous building materials. Reviews in Conservation 7: 67–82. Scienza e conservazione Torraca, G. 1999. The scientist in conservation. Conservation: The GCI Newsletter 14 (3). Torraca, G. 2009. Lectures on Materials Science for Architectural Conservation. Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute.

Class teaching. Some lessons will be held outside.