OVERVIEW

The following topics will be explored in the course:

• the theoretical and methodological foundations, historical, philosophical, scientific, and technical, of the disciplines of conservation and restoration of architectural, archaeological, and landscape heritage;

• the related methods and techniques of non-destructive analysis and diagnosis of ancient and recent architecture;

• the design and on-site intervention phases for artifacts of cultural interest and value;

• examples of ancient, recent, and contemporary restoration interventions in Italy, Europe, and around the world.

• national and international regulatory and doctrinal frameworks for the protection, conservation, and restoration of existing  heritage.

• the new challenges of contemporary times and the contribution that the disciplines of conservation and restoration can make to countering them (digital and green transitions, climate change, inclusivity, safety, accessibility, sustainability, New European Bauhaus).

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to explore the concept of conservation, ultimately leading to reflection on the themes of responsibility, respect, identity, and sustainability. It will address themes that are fundamental to the culture of conservation, but will be explored in a much broader sense. These topics cannot be perceived as the prerogative of a narrow circle of experts in the field, but must be approached in such a way as to be closely linked to the reflection that everyone is required to pursue regarding the society in which they live, and which they will contribute to changing through their project work. The course's purpose is to critically explore several issues related to the question "Why do we conserve?"

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide students with basic knowledge and skills in the disciplines of conservation and restoration, along with the ability to understand them, critically rework them, and use them to support the intentions and design choices they will address in the restoration workshops of the Master's Degree.

PREREQUISITES

Basic knowledge of general history, and specifically of the history of architecture and art, is an essential starting point for understanding the specific content of the course. Basic philosophical concepts and knowledge of materials, construction techniques, and the degradation processes of existing materials and architecture, as well as ancient and modern structural concepts and methods for interpreting and analyzing existing buildings in general, are also useful.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching essentially involves lectures, with seminars and group discussions between teacher and students, and makes use of audiovisual aids made available on Aula Web.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course explores, in summary, the following main thematic areas (not covered in chronological order):

• the origins and legitimacy of the discipline of restoration;

• the relationship between the Renaissance and the architecture of the Middle Ages and Classical Antiquity; • the relationship with pre-existing buildings, between the Baroque and the eighteenth century;

• the birth and development of the discipline of restoration "in its modern sense" in the nineteenth century, through the thought and work of several key figures (E. E. Viollet Le Duc, J. Ruskin, W. Morris, C. Boito, L. Beltrami, A. D'Andrade, A. Rubbiani, etc.)

• the protagonists of restoration in the early twentieth century (A. Riegl, G. Giovannoni, R. Pane, R. Bonelli, C. Brandi, G. De Angelis D'Ossat, etc.), subsequent developments, and recent debate;

• the relationships between Restoration, History, and historiography (the many possible "Histories," both general and specific, of ideas and material culture, the concepts of time and duration, of ancient, modern, and contemporary);

• the relationships with the Arts and expressive disciplines;

• the relationships with "Philosophy" and Aesthetics, the role of the subject, the relationship with "the real" and "the beautiful";

• the relationships with the natural, physical, mathematical, and construction sciences; • the relationships with "Technique" and the art of building;

• the concept of "Heritage" (architectural, historical, cultural, material, immaterial, etc.) and its changes over time (from the Monument to the historic center, to the cultural landscape);

• the national and international institutions, standards, documents, and policies of protection, conservation, and restoration;

• the scope, timing, and purposes of action (project, process, programming, management);

• the relationship with architectural, urban, and regional planning;

• introduction to non-destructive analysis and diagnosis techniques for existing buildings;

• contemporary restoration projects and interventions in Italy and around the world, and the challenges of the contemporary world.

Lectures will highlight terms and concepts that students must demonstrate knowledge and correct use, respecting their historically determined nature (authentic, original, original, truth-true, plausible, false, identity, completeness, completeness, fragment, decorum, cleanliness, legibility, stability, functionality, usability, reusability, reversibility, compatibility, etc.). Students must also be familiar with the fundamental elements of the biographies of the authors cited, their main written works, and examples of ancient and recent restorations attributable to them and illustrated during the lectures. The materials used to support the lectures will be available online, along with some of the texts listed in the bibliography.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliografia 

• Aa. Vv., Che cos’è il restauro? Nove studiosi a confronto, Venezia, Marsilio, 2005.
• Carbonara G. (a cura di), Trattato di restauro architettonico Utet, Torino, 1996, vol. 1, sez. A - pp. 3-66 (come riferimento generale).
• Musso Stefano F., Recupero e restauro degli edifici storici. Guida pratica al rilievo e alla diagnostica, III edizione, EPC, Roma, 2016 - è richiesta la conoscenza di alcune limitate parti che saranno indicate a lezione
• Musso Stefano F., Itinerari bibliografici sulla tutela, in B. Pedretti, Il progetto del passato, Bruno Mondadori, Milano 1997, pp. 202-236 (disponibile su aula web).
• Musso Stefano F., La nascita del restauro. Storia, imitazione, stile, in: Pigafetta G., Storia dell'architettura moderna. Imitazione e invenzione tra XV e XX secolo. vol. 2, p. 792-801, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino 2007 (disponibile su aula web).

Testi per approfondimenti sulla storia del Restauro:

• Torsello B. Paolo. Restauro architettonico. Padri, teorie, immagini. Franco Angeli, Milano 1984 (2001).
• Musso Stefano, Questioni di storia e restauro. Dall'architettura alla città, Alinea, Firenze 1988 (I e II capitolo)
• Torsello B. Paolo, La materia del restauro, Venezia, Marsilio, 1988 (prima parte)

Testi degli autori analizzati di cui è richiesta la lettura e la conoscenza diretta:

• Boito Camillo, I restauri in architettura. Dialogo primo, in Boito Camillo, Questioni pratiche di Belle Arti,
• Milano, 1893, sta in M. A. Crippa (a cura di) Il nuovo e l’antico in architettura, antologia, Milano, Jaca Book 1989.
• Bonelli Renato, voce Restauro - Restauro architettonico, in Enciclopedia Universale dell’Arte, vol. XI, col. 322 e sgg., Venezia-Roma 1963.
• Brandi Cesare, voce Restauro, in Enciclopedia Universale dell’Arte, vol. XI, Venezia-Roma 1963. e Brandi Cesare, Teoria del restauro, Einaudi, Torino 1977, pp. 3-47
• Giovannoni Gustavo, 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.
• Riegl Alois, Der moderne Denkmalkultus. Sein Wesen und seine Entstehung, Wien-Leipzig, 1903, (trad. it. Il culto moderno dei monumenti. Il suo carattere e i suoi inizi, in S. Scarrocchia (a cura di), Alois Riegl: teoria e prassi della conservazione dei monumenti, Bologna, Accademia Albertina, Clueb, 1995, pp. 173- 206).
• Ruskin John, The nature of Gothic, (VII° cap. di: The stones of Venice, London 1851-52) - Il testo è consultabile, in versione italiana nel volume: John Ruskin, Le pietre di Venezia, Rizzoli, Milano 1989; oppure nel volume: John Ruslin, La natura del gotico, Jaca Book, Milano 1992
• Ruskin John, The seven lamps of architecture, London 1849 - Consultabile nella versione italiana pubblicata da Jaca Book o da Rizzoli (nella collana B.U.R.), è inoltre possibile ritrovare molti aforimi del testo nel volume: R. Di Stefano (a cura di), John Ruskin profeta dell’architettura moderna, ESI, Napoli 1982 Viollet
• Eugene Emmanuel Viollet Le Duc, voce “Restauration” in: Dictionnaire raisonné de l’architecture française du XI au XVI siècle, Paris 1854-1868 - La voce può essere consultata, in versione italiana, nel volume: M. A. Crippa (a cura di), Viollet Le Duc: Architettura ragionata. Estratti dal Dizionario, Jaca Book, Milano 1981

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

From the academic and department calendar, in the first semester

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The final exam consists of an interview based on a restoration project chosen by the candidate, not necessarily from those covered in class. The second question will focus on the figure, thought process, and theoretical and practical work (texts and projects) of a leading figure in the history of restoration, from those covered in class. The third question will follow the progress of the interview.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Learning outcomes will be assessed in consultation with the students and based on their written presentations on a restoration project carried out in various eras and geographical and cultural contexts, selected by them with a focus on the most recent ones.

The assessment will be based on the following criteria: quality of presentation, correct use of specialized vocabulary, and critical reasoning skills.