Building engineering and architecture

Sapienza Università di Roma – Corso di Laurea in Ingegneria Edile-Architettura – a.a. 2025-2026 Restauro architettonico con laboratorio progettuale – 12 CFU Prof. Claudio Varagnoli Course Program Section A – PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF ARCHITECTURAL RESTORATION A1. The evolution of the concept of monument: relationships with aesthetics and historiography. Terminological issues: restoration, conservation, reconstruction, rehabilitation, maintenance. A2. Cultural diversity in approaches to the past. Trends in the Classical Age. The Middle Ages: continuity, detachment, knowledge of the ancient world. A3. The Renaissance and restoration: theorists and designers in relation to pre-existing structures. Liturgical and architectural reforms between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Developments in the Baroque period. A4. The birth of modern restoration: the eighteenth century. Restoration in painting and sculpture: patina, authenticity, and reversibility. Conservation and design in architectural restoration; the issue of structural stability. A5. Restoration, archaeology, neoclassicism: experiences on ancient monuments in Rome and Italy in the early nineteenth century. Legislation and organization of heritage protection in the pre-unification Italian states. A6. Protection and conservation in France in the early nineteenth century. The “empirical” phase of restoration. The work of the Commission des Monuments Historiques and the development of stylistic restoration principles. A7. E.-E. Viollet-le-Duc. Theoretical production: the Dictionnaire. Major restoration works: the Madeleine in Vézelay; Notre-Dame in Paris; the Synodal Palace of Sens; Carcassonne; Pierrefonds Castle. A8. Restoration and aesthetics in England: the garden and the ruin. The thought of J. Ruskin and its European diffusion. W. Morris and the work of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. A9. The architectural debate in Italy in the mid-nineteenth century. Camillo Boito: theoretical principles and works. Knowledge and reinvention of the past: A. D’Andrade and A. Rubbiani. The relationship between history and restoration in L. Beltrami. A10. Transformation and conservation of the European city: C. Sitte, Ch. Buls. Developments in the German area: the modern cult of monuments according to A. Riegl. A11. G. Giovannoni: old cities and new construction. The historiographical method; theoretical positions on restoration and practical achievements. A12. The Modern Movement and its approach to historical heritage. The Athens Charter of 1931/1932 and that of the CIAM in 1933. Works in Italy between the two wars and the 1939 heritage protection laws. A13. The post-war period. War destruction in Europe and Italy: the question of rebuilding monuments and historic centers. Restoration as a critical act. A14. The activity of the Central Institute of Restoration and Cesare Brandi’s theory: premises, conceptual structure, and practical outcomes. A15. The insertion of new architecture into old contexts: F. Minissi, C. Scarpa. From the Venice Charter (1964) to the “Italian Charter of Restoration” (1972). A16. The plurality of trends in restoration (1970–2000). Contemporary architecture and its interventions on historic works (1990–2025). Section B – THE RESTORATION PROJECT FOR HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE B1. Architectural philology. B1.1. “Intrinsic” sources: architectural survey for restoration. B1.2. “Extrinsic” sources: bibliographic, archival, and iconographic research. B1.3. Analytical methods for built heritage: typological analysis. Applications of the stratigraphic method in architecture. B2. Materials and construction systems of traditional buildings. B2.1. Stone: tools and workmanship, laying, finishes. B2.2. Bricks: masonry bonds and construction systems. B2.3. Binders and plasters: lime, gypsum, and aggregates. B2.4. Construction systems of serial building: walls, openings, vaults, floors, roofs, and fixtures. B3. Deterioration processes. B3.1. Phenomena caused by water: humidity and its causes. B3.2. Physical alteration. Chemical alteration: sulfation and carbonation. Biological agents and their effects. B3.3. Cases of structural instability; earthquake damage. B4. Diagnostics for historical and architectural heritage. B4.1. Survey of deterioration: surfaces and structures. Hygroscopic and cracking patterns. B4.2. Main technical and scientific investigations in situ and in the laboratory. B5. The design framework for architectural restoration. B5.1. The search for appropriate functions. B5.2. Overview of legislation for protection and restoration. B6. Restoration of materials and surfaces. B6.1. Treatment of stone surfaces: cleaning, consolidation, protection. B6.2. Treatment of plasters and paintings. B7. Restoration of masonry structures. B7.1. Guiding principles and traditional devices for structural interventions. B7.2. Restoration of vertical structures, vaults, floors, and roofs. B8. Restoration of contemporary architecture. B8.1. Materials of contemporary architecture. B8.2. Restoration of reinforced concrete: practices and open issues. B8.3. Protection of twentieth-century buildings

Knowledge of the history of architecture from antiquity to the contemporary age. Knowledge of the most up-to-date survey and representation techniques. Knowledge of Structural Mechanics and Building Technology. Full command of the Italian language.

Per la sezione A: C. Varagnoli, Appunti dalle lezioni di teoria e storia del restauro, in restauroprogetto.it Fonti: J. Ruskin, The Seven Lamps of Architecture, London 1849, trad. it., Le sette lampade dell’architettura, Milano, Jaca Book, 1982, in particolare, “La lampada della memoria”, pp. 209-230 E.E. Viollet-le-Duc, L’architettura ragionata, estratti dal Dictionnaire raisonné de l’architecture française du XI e au XVI e siècle, a cura di M.A. Crippa, Milano, Jaca Book, 1982, voce “Restauro”, pp. 247-271 C. Boito, I restauri in architettura. Dialogo primo, da Questioni pratiche di Belle Arti, Milano 1893, ora in Il nuovo e l’antico in architettura, antologia a cura di M.A. Crippa, Milano, Jaca Book,1989, in particolare pp. 107-126 A. Riegl, Der moderne Denkmalkultus. Sein Wesen und seine Entstehung, Wien-Leipzig 1903, traduzione italiana Il culto moderno die monumenti. Il suo carattere e i suoi inizi, a cura di S. Scarrocchia, Bologna, Nuova Alfa Editoriale, 1985 G. Giovannoni, Restauro dei monumenti, alla voce Restauro in Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze Lettere e Arti, Roma, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondato da G. Treccani, 1936, vol. XXIX, pp. 127-130 C. Brandi, Teoria del restauro, Roma, Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 1963 (II ed. Torino, Einaudi, 1977), in part. pp. 3-61, 77-80, 133-154 Saggi sulla storia del restauro: C. Varagnoli, S. Croce in Gerusalemme: la basilica restaurata e l’architettura del Settecento romano, Roma, Bonsignori, 1995, in part. cap. 4 e Appendice C. Varagnoli, Teoria ed empiria dal Settecento all’Ottocento, in Trattato sul consolidamento, (direttore scientifico P. Rocchi), Roma, Mancosu editore, 2003, pp. A 100-107 S. Casiello (a cura di), Restauro tra metamorfosi e teorie, Napoli, Electa Napoli, 1992, pp. 7-53; in part. pp. 26-44 C. Varagnoli, Dal restauro al piano: teorie e interventi nel quartiere del Rinascimento, in G. Spagnesi (a cura di), Il corso e il quartiere del Rinascimento, Roma, Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, 1994, pp. 49-93 S. Casiello (a cura di), La cultura del restauro. Teorie e fondatori, Venezia, Marsilio, 1996 (saggi su Viollet-le-Duc, Boito, Beltrami) I temi del dibattito 1970-2020: G. Carbonara, La reintegrazione dell’immagine. Problemi di restauro dei monumenti, Roma, Bulzoni, 1976 P. Marconi, Arte e cultura nella manutenzione dei monumenti, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1984 M. Tafuri, Storia, conservazione, restauro, in “Casabella”, anno LV, n. 580, giugno 1991, pp. 23-26 C. Varagnoli, Edifici da edifici: la ricezione del passato nell’architettura italiana 1990-2000, in “L’industria delle costruzioni”, 368, novembre/dicembre 2002, pp. 4 –15 Per la sezione B Testo di riferimento generale G. Carbonara, Trattato di restauro architettonico, 4 voll + aggiornamenti, Torino 1996 e anni successivi Per il punto B1: A. Bruschi, Indicazioni metodologiche per lo studio storico dell’architettura, in AA.VV., Lineamenti di storia dell’architettura, Assisi-Roma, Carucci, 1978 G. Caniggia, G.L. Maffei, 1. Lettura dell’edilizia di base, Venezia, Marsilio, 1979 (varie riedizioni) A. Boato, L’archeologia in architettura: misurazioni, stratigrafie, datazioni, restauro, Venezia, Marsilio, 2008 Per il punto B2: F. Giovanetti (a cura di), Manuale del recupero del Comune di Roma, Roma, D.E.I. – Tipografia del Genio Civile, 2000 (II ed.) A. Giuffrè’ (a cura di), Sicurezza e conservazione dei centri storici. Il caso di Ortigia, Bari, Laterza, 1993 C. Varagnoli, La materia degli antichi edifici, in G. Carbonara (a cura di), Trattato di restauro architettonico, Torino U.T.E.T., 1996, vol. 1° F. Doglioni, P. Mazzotti (a cura di), Codice di pratica per gli interventi di miglioramento sismico nel restauro del patrimonio architettonico, Ancona, Regione Marche, 2007 C. Varagnoli, La costruzione tradizionale in Abruzzo. Fonti materiali e tecniche costruttive dalla fine del Medioevo all’Ottocento, Roma, Gangemi 2008 Per i punti B3, B4, B5, B6, B7: G. Massari, I. Massari, Risanamento igienico dei locali umidi, Milano, Hoepli, 1981 L. Baruchello, G. Assenza, Diagnosi dei dissesti e consolidamento delle costruzioni. Manuale pratico, Roma, DEI – Tipografia del Genio Civile, 1998 S. Franceschi, L. Germani, Manuale operativo per il restauro architettonico, Roma, D.E.I. – Tipografia del Genio Civile, 2003 G. Cangi, Manuale del recupero strutturale e antisismico, Roma, D.E.I. – Tipografia del Genio Civile, 2005 L. Lazzarini, M. Laurenzi Tabasso, Il restauro della pietra, II ed., Torino, Utet Scienze tecniche, 2010

Regular in-person attendance at lectures, exercises, and site visits is required. It is not possible to attend the course on line.

The exam includes a discussion of the design project developed during the Workshop and during the additional tutorial hours, together with an oral examination on the topics covered in the course (theory and history of restoration; stylistic and constructional features of pre-modern architecture; intervention techniques). To facilitate the oral examination, ongoing assessments through multiple-choice tests are provided.

Oral communication by the professor (lecture) with student participation; discussion of project works; study visits to monuments and restoration sites.