Understanding Chefchaouen

The medina of Chefchaouen represents an architectural heritage of great value and its building culture constitutes a repertoire of knowledge to be safeguarded as an expression of cultural diversity in the relationship between society and nature. The volume presents the results of an in-depth research on the knowledge system that constitutes the local building culture of the medina, highlighting the characteristics of the construction systems, the risks to which the traditional heritage is subject, and its contribution to the development of a sustainable habitat. The book addresses the theme of the built heritage of the medina with an interdisciplinary approach, which includes architecture as part of a system that has to be studied along with the natural, social and cultural contexts

Analysis and regeneration strategies for the abandoned villages of the Santerno valley in Tuscany

[EN] The historical settlement system of the Mugello mountain in Tuscany is characterised by scattered rural stone villages and houses. In the past these villages housed communities mainly dedicated to the centuries-old cultivation of chestnut. The process of abandonment can be traced back between the 50s and 60s, when the inhabitants left these isolated places to head towards the cities in search of better economic and living conditions. This paper illustrates the research carried out on three abandoned settlements in the municipality of Firenzuola, with particular reference to the Santerno valley. Pratalecchia, Brento Sanico and Castiglioncello were taken as case studies to carry out a typological and constructive analysis, comprising conservation state and vulnerability maps of their vernacular heritage. The first part of the investigation analyzes the context and the environmental resources; identifies the characteristics of the recurring architectural types; and operates a classification of the building techniques. The main classes of stone-masonry types have been recorded. By applying the masonry quality index (IQM) method the mechanical parameters of the masonry types have been determined. In the second part of the research, the conservation state of the buildings have been assessed. According to a risk-based approach, a vulnerability level was determined for each building, considering the quality of the construction elements, the damage degree and the relation with adjacent buildings. The research allowed to outline a first methodological approach in order to plan future intervention priorities and to identify strategies for the sustainable conservation, enhancement and rehabilitation of this architectural heritage.Coppola, M.; Dipasquale, L.; Mannucci, L.; Rovero, L. (2022). Analysis and regeneration strategies for the abandoned villages of the Santerno valley in Tuscany. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1031-1038. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.149521031103

A collaborative Web App to foster a knowledge network on vernacular heritage, craftspeople, and sustainability

[EN] Vernacular architecture provides extraordinary technological and typological solutions, which are the result of a complex system of knowledge that has evolved through trial and error, in a deep connection to the environmental, social, economic and cultural contexts. The goal of the study presented here is to propose a tool able to organise vernacular knowledge, both tangible and intangible, by systematising principles, strategies, design models and solutions in order to be more easily shared, transmitted and employed in the design of new sustainable architecture. The tool, which is developed as part of the project "VerSus+ / Heritage for People" (Creative Europe Program), is a collaborative Web Application able to map solutions and models from vernacular architecture, and to associate and classify them with sustainable strategies. In addition to physical objects (cultural landscapes, urban, typological and technological solutions), the App will also map the people involved in the knowledge management of vernacular architecture: craftspeople and professionals in the field of vernacular architecture enhancement and conservation. This tool can catalogue solutions and knowledge from different branches of vernacular architecture, and make it available to a large audience, such as professionals, researchers, artisans and citizens, who can also directly contribute to the growth of the vernacular database by adding new information and solutions to the App. The idea is to have a user friendly and easy to consult App, able to suggest new solutions to contemporary design problems, based on the observation of similar past problems, so that sustainable models developed in the past can be adapted to design and construct a more appropriate architecture for the future.Ammendola, J.; Dipasquale, L.; Ferrari, EP.; Mecca, S.; Montoni, L.; Zambelli, M. (2022). A collaborative Web App to foster a knowledge network on vernacular heritage, craftspeople, and sustainability. En Proceedings HERITAGE 2022 - International Conference on Vernacular Heritage: Culture, People and Sustainability. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 703-710. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1495170371