ear Paweł Pedrycz,

thanks for your email, the subject of your proposal sound very 
interesting, and I think we have many common issues to develop together. 
Let me briefly present my Institution:

The Institute for Technologies Applied to Cultural Heritage (ITABC), 
founded in 1978, with a staff of 36 persons, carries out researches in 
the field of the knowledge, the conservation and the protection of 
archaeological sites and of documentation and restoration of monumental 
buildings. In general the activities regard the development, definition, 
testing, optimisation and transfer of methods and technologies for the 
study, enhancement and enjoyment of Cultural Heritage, by means a 
significant number of case-studies in Italy and abroad, with reference 
to sites of great international importance. The Built Heritage 
Laboratory (BH-LAB) of ITABC integrates a multidisciplinary analysis 
approach to historical buildings aimed to their revitalisation and 
adaptation to innovative solutions. The documentation and conservation 
methodology is the result of an a approach involving multidisciplinary 
analysis and integrated design aimed at the restoration and the energy 
and functional retrofit of historic buildings with special reference to 
sustainable solutions respecting landscape, environmental, cultural, 
economic and social values.

We belong at the National Research Council (CNR) is a public 
organization; its duty is to carry out, promote, spread, transfer and 
improve research activities in the main sectors of knowledge growth and 
of its applications for the scientific, technological, economic and 
social development of the Country. CNR is distributed all over Italy 
through a network of more of 100 institutes, with over 8.000 employees 
(4.000 researchers), aiming at promoting a wide diffusion of its 
competences throughout the national territory and at facilitating 
contacts and cooperation with local firms and organizations.

We are actually working on the project “Smart Polis”©: methods, tools 
and strategies of intervention for the sustainable regeneration of 
historic urban centres, a proposal for identifying problems and finding 
solutions beginning from the very definition of its name, intended as a 
portal to the complexity of a multi-dimensional society focused on 
cultural growth, and not simply as a city environment to "preserve”. A 
vision where an historical city--from a place of history--can find new 
life and implement the transformation of new communities, establish a 
network of innovation, create cooperation, locate financing and launch 
start-ups. One of ht objectives of the research focus on the review of 
the most recent conceptual and methodological developments in the 
assessment of the societal impacts associated to historical buildings 
preservation which includes environmental, socio-economic and cultural 
externalities.

We are at disposal for the development of a research unit for the 
participation at the JPI Call on CH.

With kindest regards

Elena Gigliarelli



Il 2014-03-17 12:19 Paweł Pedrycz ha scritto:
> Dear Researchers,
> Representing a coalition of cultural/scientific subjects from Poland I
> would like to present a project proposal:
> 
> ARCHITECTURAL METHODS OF INTERPRETING THE HERITAGE OF EUROPEAN SMALL 
> TOWNS.
> 
> or:
> How to design architecture in a fragile environment of small town to
> creatively approach to its heritage. To strengthen its values without
> falling into conservative stagnation.
> 
> This projects main field is ARCHITECTURE understood as "methodology of
> architectural design”.
> 
> Description:
> European small towns has their own unique character resulting from
> their history and scale. Spatial structure of most European small
> towns is inseparably connected with the process of developing of civil
> rights in medieval period.
> But later, in the industrial age, towns were too small to meet the
> demands of developing industry, and their importance declined.
> Now, in so called "information era" which brought transformation of
> many economical, social and cultural processes, small towns are
> becoming attractive again. In this situation we are facing a
> challenge:
> How to build? How to design in a small town, not to damage their
> uniqueness? How to develop their heritage and creatively move it
> toward future? It seems that relying just on the talent of single
> architect may bring controversial effects.
> It would be desirable to find good methods of dealing with this
> subject. The research should focus on looking for appropriate tools,
> typologies, strategies etc that could be useful in architects job in
> small town.
> 
> Why should we concern on architects and not urban planners,
> governments and others?
> Because the unique spatial phenomenon that is connected with European
> small town, its atmosphere and structure is a result of many bottom-up
> decisions rather than top-down regulations (which were more common in
> large cities). To sustain this character we should act in similar
> manner.
> 
> We are waiting for Your opinions, comments and applications. We
> address this call to research teams such as Universities/Politecnics.
> Heritage Preservation Institutes, Think-Tanks and others.
> Regards,
> Paweł Pedrycz