Research activities
The department conducts fundamental and applied research aimed at anchoring architectural, urban and landscape practices in a renewed approach to built and unbuilt heritage. Research focuses on the conservation, evaluation and reactivation of neglected sites, heritage listed in inventories or classified by UNESCO.
The department’s researchers aim to develop methodologies in geo-history, heritage landscape analysis and the use of historical documentary sources, as well as innovative heritage assessment tools that go beyond a strictly historical approach.
The members of the department specialise in industrial heritage. This type of heritage, often complex in terms of its scale, materiality and historical significance, is the subject of in-depth studies. The research aims to establish conversion models for brownfield sites and industrial sites that take into account structural, technical and societal specificities. This work contributes to the promotion of this unique heritage, both in Wallonia and internationally, and to the development of guidelines for successful reintegration into contemporary urban and rural development.
Our unit is also associated with the following UMONS research institutes :
