Architectural and Cultural Heritage

An approach focused on architectural heritage and legacies, guiding their assessment and conversion to serve the project in contemporary society.

The department is dedicated to training and research in the enhancement of built and unbuilt heritage in order to train architects who are aware of the challenges and constraints of this type of building and capable of working in a respectful and sustainable manner in historical contexts.

The department covers courses from Bachelor's to Master's level, allowing students to progress from theoretical foundations to specialised expertise.

Bachelor's: fundamental courses lay the foundations for understanding heritage, including conservation doctrines, typological studies, surveying techniques and reflection on the conversion of sites;
Master's degree: the ‘Architecture & Heritage’ programme focuses on projects. Students are guided in the development of contemporary architectural and urban planning solutions in heritage environments.
Specialised Master's degree: these courses cover, among other things, methods for preparing restoration files, analysis of conversion constraints, manual surveys and heritage assessment.

Fundamental and applied research aims to enrich architectural and urban planning practices. It focuses on conservation, the reactivation of abandoned or protected sites (listed, classified, UNESCO) and the development of new methodologies. Members of the department develop expertise in industrial heritage. This field of research studies specific challenges (scale, materiality, memory) in order to establish both conversion models, contributing to the successful reintegration of this heritage at regional and international level, and heritage assessment tools.

The department is also committed to disseminating knowledge and exchanging ideas with civil society and professionals through:

The organisation of exhibitions of student projects;
The establishment of international research partnerships, promoting the expansion of expertise;
The organisation of conferences and specialised study days, particularly in the field of industrial heritage, to stimulate scientific debate.