Enhancing of Heritage Awareness and Sustainability of Built Environment in Architectural Education
HERSUS (Enhancing of Heritage Awareness and Sustainability of Built Environment in Architectural and Urban Design Higher Education) is Erasmus + Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education bringing together five Universities from Serbia, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, and Spain. HERSUS Consortium works together on the design and development of innovative educational practices while disseminating knowledge through international student workshops and events, and a jointly built Digital Sharing Platform.
Cross-border/international
Serbia
Italy
Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries: Cyprus
Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries: Greece
Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries: Spain
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It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Yes
ERASMUS
The HERSUS project is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme, Key Action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, Action Type: Strategic partnerships for higher education. The project is awarded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union with project reference 2020-1-RS01-KA203-06540 within the Call 2020 Round 1 KA2. Grant starts from 1st November 2020 and will be implemented until 31st September 2023.
https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2020-1-RS01-KA203-065407
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): University of Belgrade Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Vladan Last name of representative: Djokic Gender: Male Nationality: Serbia Function: Rector of University of Belgrade, HERSUS Project Leader Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Studentski trg 1 Town: Belgrade Postal code: 11000 Country: Serbia Direct Tel:+381 11 3207400 E-mail:vdjokic@arh.bg.ac.rs Website:http://www.bg.ac.rs/
Name of the organisation(s): IUAV University of Venice Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Enrico Last name of representative: Anguillari Gender: Male Nationality: Italy Function: HERSUS Project Manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Santa Croce Tolentini 191 Town: Venice Postal code: 30135 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 041 257 1465 E-mail:eanguil@iuav.it Website:https://www.iuav.it/INTERNATIO/
Name of the organisation(s): University of Cyprus Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Maria Last name of representative: Philokyprou Gender: Female Nationality: Cyprus Function: HERSUS Project Manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Kallipoleos Street 75 Town: Nicosia Postal code: 1678 Country: Cyprus Direct Tel:+357 22 892974 E-mail:philokyprou.maria@ucy.ac.cy Website:https://www.ucy.ac.cy/?lang=en
Name of the organisation(s): Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Konstantinos Last name of representative: Sakantamis Gender: Male Nationality: Greece Function: HERSUS Project Manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Egnatia 137 Town: Thessaloniki Postal code: 54636 Country: Greece Direct Tel:+30 694 537 2946 E-mail:ksakanta@arch.auth.gr Website:https://www.auth.gr/en/
Name of the organisation(s): University of Seville Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Mar Last name of representative: Loren-Méndez Gender: Female Nationality: Spain Function: HERSUS Project Manager Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Calle San Fernando 4 Town: Seville Postal code: 41004 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 670 52 97 25 E-mail:marloren@us.es Website:https://www.us.es/
HERSUS (https://hersus.org/) proposes innovative teaching practices in the field of sustainability of the built heritage. The project strives to enhance the competence and motivation of educators and researchers to develop curricula with tangible results, and prepare students to become real actors in environmental change. HERSUS addresses NEB pillars as follows: (1) sustainability through enhancing heritage awareness and its relation with environmental sensitivity, (2) aesthetics and quality of experience for people through piloting regenerative design strategies (urban reconstruction, adaptive reuse, and resilience-oriented design) within 3 student workshops, and (3) inclusion through the promotion of intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity in heritage-related disciplines. In relation to HERSUS target groups (teachers/trainers/tutors, and students), there is a need for specific competencies within the framework of sustainability of the built heritage: (1) a new profile of an architect/urban designer, a professional that is trained in the broad architectural domain, who owns technical, technological, socio-humanistic and artistic skills and, therefore equipped to address to the socio-environmental challenges, and (2) a new profile of architectural educator capable of taking responsibility for the improvement of education and training of the future architects through equipping them with knowledge and skills to meet the expectations of 21st-century societies worldwide for sustainable human settlements in every cultural heritage. HERSUS brings together 5 Universities from Serbia, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, and Spain working together to develop courses and pilot them through international workshops, and a jointly built digital Sharing Platform (https://hersus-sharingplatform.org/). HERSUS includes activities of cooperation between research, private and public sectors, targeting both local and regional support towards higher education-practical arena cooperation.
higher education on sustainable heritage
innovative teaching practices
urban reconstruction
adaptive reuse of buildings
future heritage and resilience
The notion of sustainability represents the core feature of HERSUS conceptualization, considered both as a thematic framework and as a challenge within the scope of architectural and urban design higher education. Regarding sustainability, the key objectives of HERSUS are to: (1) identify, study and explain the state-of-the-art in learning and teaching on sustainability in line with the built heritage as a research/design subject, (2) create statements on teaching through design for the sustainability of the built environment and heritage awareness and define main design tools, strategies and approaches for reaching sustainability of the built environment, and (3) design and develop innovative courses and study program within the HERSUS scope. In this context, HERSUS Consortium developed the following intellectual outputs (IOs): (1) IO1 Review of the Best Practices - presents data collection (best case study examples) from each of the HERSUS partner countries and associated organizations structured in three main parts: Built projects, Pedagogical and Educational Models, Influence of National Policies on the Sustainability of Heritage, and IO2 Questionnaire - the product of a survey design, dissemination, and analysis strategy consisting of a two-pronged approach focusing on two target groups, experts and students, (2) IO3 Statements for Teaching presents a strategy containing necessary qualifications that architectural educator needs to obtain in order to advance teaching about the sustainability of the built environment and heritage awareness, and (3) IO5 Book of Courses which presents the structure and content for new joint master level study program with IO6 Handbook for Student as an innovative dataset of didactic materials.
The notion of aesthetics and quality of experience for people is considered from a research-by-design perspective in the field of architecture and urbanism. The key objectives of HERSUS in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people are to (1) initiate small-scale initiatives in a form of student workshops directed towards generating conceptual designs for heritage areas and buildings, (2) reach out to local areas through place-based approach and stimulate students to critical thinking and problem-based research about the urban challenges related to heritage preservation, and (3) stimulate the implementation of the multiscale approach for research and (re)design of built heritage. In this context, HERSUS Consortium implemented three student workshops: (1) Workshop 1: Sustainable Reconstruction in Urban Areas (Venice, Italy - 22nd–26th November 2021 (onsite)) - The engaged study field was the Valmarana Salvi Gardens in Vicenza. The primary purpose was to understand how historical gardens could influence contemporary communities and designers and to re-think them through contemporary standpoints; (2) Workshop 2: Adaptive Reuse (Nicosia, Cyprus - 2nd–6th May 2022 (onsite)) - The engaged study field was the walled city of Nicosia. The intention was to provide a holistic view of the area and to develop a different attitude toward cultural heritage and sustainability focusing on the adaptive reuse of vernacular dwellings, semi-open and open spaces; and (3) Workshop 3: Resilience and Future Heritage (Thessaloniki, Greece - 17th–21st October 2022 (onsite)) - The engaged study field was the Market Area of Thessaloniki (Kapani Market). The international team's proposals focused on occupancy and land use, the environmental performance of the urban fabric surrounding the markets, and the future restoration and upgrade of the market building stock.
The notion of inclusion is considered through the promotion of intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity in heritage-related disciplines. Regarding inclusion, the key objectives of HERSUS are to (1) support the creation of inclusive and connected higher education, and (2) consider built heritage as a means for inclusion through promotion of cultural diversity across Europe. The objectives are addressed by establishing a transnational strategic partnership between urban and architectural design schools from Southern Europe acting as regional hubs to guarantee geographical coverage of the action and its enlargement. The HERSUS developed the potential for building social capital among large number of participating members through cooperation activities and events: (1) Learning/Training/Teaching activities – 1 teachers seminar, 3 student workshops, and 1 teachers training with open call and equal opportunities for all interested participants – stimulation networking regarding shared knowledge which could guarantee inclusive curricula across Europe within the HERSUS scope, (2) Multiplier events – activities for dissemination of HERSUS results in a form of public presentations to wide range of stakeholders, and Open Houses at participating HEIs – stimulation networking in terms of providing insight into the cultural diversity which is related to particular HERSUS countries and regionally, and (3) Transnational Project Meetings - establishing consensus on core values within heritage and sustainability and stimulating networking in terms of creating joint master program between HERSUS Consortium universities and taking a holistic look at teaching practices and policies within heritage higher education. Moreover, HERSUS Sharing Platform (IO4) was jointly designed and developed to present identified examples and role models by georeferencing them to visualize the cultural diversity and distribution of various heritage types and approaches over Europe and beyond.
Having in mind that the main approach of HERSUS Student Workshops is a place-based approach in terms of reaching out to local areas, the syllabuses for all three implemented workshops are conceptualized in order to address the needs of local community and urban challenges on the local level. The results of all three student workshops with 9 conceptual designs (3 per selected location in each of country implementing the workshop) will be part of an itinerant exhibition at each of HERSUS Universities and associated countries in May 2023. The exhibitions will be open to all interested citizens with the idea of bringing students' visions of the future life of local places closer to them - Valmarana Salvi Gardens in Vicenza, the Walled city of Nicosia, and Market Area of Thessaloniki (Kapani Market). A series of lectures (5 per workshop) were organized prior to visiting each location and conducting fieldwork, where various representatives of academics, independent professionals, practitioners, and representatives of the civil sector had a chance to provide a multi-perspective view on challenges with which the city is facing. Moreover, HERSUS team realized promotional activities in order to demonstrate piloted teaching practices. In the presence of representatives from the Coal Mining Museum Senjski Rudnik and the local community (about 50 citizens), an exhibition of student works was opened on May 21st, 2022. The exhibition titled Post-industrial landscape: Transformations of the urban zone of Senjski Rudnik was organized and opened in Senjski Rudnik, Serbia activating the open space behind the Coal Mining Museum in the hope that with this activity the University of Belgrade will further trigger positive changes in the culture of reuse of public space. In terms of digital tools, HERSUS Sharing Platform (IO4) was developed as an interactive tool for both gaining and sharing knowledge about European heritage and establishing intercultural dialogue within this scope.
By its nature, the HERSUS project is educational-based and research-oriented, with a multilevel approach to engage different stakeholders. Regarding local level, during workshops, organizers engaged associated partners that deal with heritage or sustainability issues and act as a part of the private, public, or civil sectors. On a regional level, during HERSUS lifetime, partners were engaged in research-oriented and dissemination activities through the presentation of conference papers and exhibition participation. On the national level, each partner involved representatives from professional and scientific field as external collaborators within best case analysis from practice (IO1), participants in expert questionnaire (IO2) and contributors for providing statements on teaching (IO3). On European level, different invited lecturers from European countries participated in HERSUS Learning/Training/Teaching activities (Seminar for Teachers and Seminars within Workshops). Additionally, HERSUS members presented research behind the intellectual outputs at international conferences: 2nd International Conference on Environmental Design, Athens, Greece (October 2021); XI International Scientific and Professional Conference Architectural heritage and Urban planning, Belgrade, Serbia (October 2021); International Seminar on Urban Form ISUF 2021, Glasgow, UK (July 2021) and ISUF 2022, Krakow and Lodz, Poland (September 2022); 6th Heritage Forum of Central Europe, online (June 2021). As an instrument for collecting local experiences and sharing them on European level, HERSUS Prize on Modern Heritage was initiated in order to award best practices in Europe on sustainability and cultural heritage in architectural and urban design in four categories: Education Students (Master Diploma Projects or Thesis), Education Instructors (Innovative Teaching and Pedagogical Practices), Practice (built projects), and Research Honorary Award (individual researchers or research institution).
The project scope refers to both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach regarding different specialized areas including (in line with the professional and scientific fields of HERSUS Consortium): Architecture, Urbanism, Architectural Technology, Integral Urbanism, Regional and Urban Planning, Interior Architecture, Energy-efficient and Green Architecture, Urban Renewal, Conservation, Sustainable Development, Vernacular Architecture, Energy and Environmental Design, Urban Sociology. In this sense, HERSUS project is aimed to benefit a large number of students, professionals, representatives of other educational institutions, public bodies, private/public enterprises, representatives of labor market agencies, agencies for sustainability and heritage protection, National government representatives, public and wide society. Through the direct involvement of students in project activities, HERSUS aims to render future young professionals equipped to contribute to the socio-environmental challenges and heritage preservation. In addition to students as main stakeholders of HERSUS, the project involved prominent experts in the mentioned fields who were engaged through an expert questionnaire: Academics, Practitioners, Policy-makers, Decision Maker in Public Administration, and Decision-makers in non-governmental organizations or Professional Associations from all 5 HERSUS countries. The profiles of experts were chosen so as to comprehensively reflect the different tiers of engagement with issues of sustainability and heritage. They were interviewed about the necessary competencies in a practice arena and about any gaps that take place between education and practice, focusing on knowledge and design skills. Results from the questionnaire support HERSUS Universities in establishing high-quality standards connected to teaching in the field of sustainability of the built heritage, through cross-cultural communication and problem-solving in an international context.
A key innovated value of the HERSUS is a multi-conceptual and multi-scale framework that includes three main pillars to achieve a sustainable architectural and urban heritage. These 3 ''RE" pillars are strategically defined in order to create educational strategies in the form of courses through which knowledge and design skills are acquired for: (1) REconstruction (linking urban and architectural scale) – urban heritage redevelopment used to address urban decay in cities, (2) REuse (linking architectural and detail scale) - the process of reusing an existing architectural heritage for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for, (3) REsilience (linking urban, architectural and detail scale) - designing flexible structures that can learn from their environments and creating transformable and sustainable space framework. Following the thematic framework of all 3 ''RE" pillars, syllabuses for 3 student workshops were conceptualized. The additional innovative aspect of HERSUS could be perceived through the engagement of a digital perspective of education and emerging technologies via HERSUS Sharing Platform specifically characterized by the integration of a matrix for naming and searching content (tag matrix), and geographical location (georeferencing) of content through digital map development or tag categories.
HERSUS Intellectual Outputs (IOs) are transnational, structured, and result-driven outcomes which are perceived as an integral part of the Plan for Sustainability and long-term cooperation of HERSUS Consortium with a two-fold perspective: engagement of IOs as didactic materials, and transferring insights from IOs to process of design and accreditation of new study programs. IO1 Review of the Best Practices - provides comparative insights into educational practices, built projects, and urban policies; IO2 Questionnaire for the State of the Art – provides valuable and in-depth data on the current level of development of study programs and individual curricula within the HERSUS scope which could be useful for the management of heritage-related higher education institutions and teachers in the process of creation and accreditation of study programs; IO3 Statements for Teaching through Design for Sustainability of the Built Environment and Heritage Awareness - presents a strategy containing necessary qualifications that an architect has to obtain in order to be competent for architectural and urban design, as well as an up-to-date qualification that architectural educator needs to obtain in order to advance teaching about the sustainability of the built environment and heritage awareness. The IO3 is prepared in the form of Teaching Vademecum: Statements on Notions, Ideas, Design Strategies, Design Tactics, Tools and Techniques, and Heritage Types relevant to the HERSUS scope; IO4 HERSUS Sharing Platform – developed open-access repository with identified examples and role models form education, practices, and research; IO5 Book of Courses – conceptualized imaginary master study program which would educate new generations of professionals; IO6 Handbook for Students in the field of sustainable built heritage - could be engaged as a didactic material at heritage-related higher education institutions.
From the perspective of the general implementation, HERSUS project engages two parallel approaches which would lead towards achieving the project objectives. The first approach is the bottom-up approach, where every partner is responsible for looking toward the local educational higher education systems' needs. In essence, it starts from universities towards modernizing existing and developing new joint master programs. The overall focus is on improving the quality of the higher education system and enhancing graduates’ employability. The second is the multilevel approach (from the European education system towards national education systems), which includes all participants working in collaboration towards achieving common goals at the European level. The consortium seeks to establish a new integrated approach based on activities that rely on a program for teaching. The HERSUS project is designed so it has the learning, training, and teaching activities (LTTs) with intellectual outputs (IOs) at the core of implementation while all other activities support and supplement their design and development. LTTs as a platform for testing principles and methodologies derived from all IOs, Multiplier Events as a platform for dissemination and public presentation of IOs, and Transnational Project Meetings are used for discussion, creative development, and critical reflection of IOs. From the perspective of the particular activities, the following approaches were engaged: (1) Student workshops engaged a place-based approach in order to address the local urban challenges and needs of local communities within the design process, and (2) Intellectual outputs development engaged transdisciplinary approach generated based on the professional and scientific fields of HERSUS Consortium members.
The HERSUS starts from the recognition that the practice and education in the field of architectural and urban design related to awareness raising about the sustainability of the built environment and heritage face numerous challenges such as social transformation, climate change, globalization, urbanization, and housing issues. On these grounds, HERSUS recognizes the necessity of introducing new regenerative design strategies that could contribute to the sustainable transformation of the built environment and the preservation of heritage, and pilots them through the syllabuses of student workshops in the following way: (1) Workshop 1: Sustainable Reconstruction in Urban Areas dealt with cultural heritage and sustainability themes through the points of identification and testing the local practices of sustainable reconstruction; mitigation the impacts of climate change and natural hazards on cultural heritage by strengthening the resilience of sites and communities and promoting the sustainable reconstruction of urban areas; and development of an innovative, collaborative and systematic approach to promote effective regeneration and adaptive re-use in the historical area. (2) Workshop 2: Adaptive Reuse dealt with the adaptive reuse of existing vernacular urban dwellings within the divided walled city of Nicosia as a place of culture and memory; intangible and tangibles values as a tool for multidisciplinary reading and revival proposals of the divided walled city of Nicosia; re-discovering routes and paths through the design of cultural network and interconnections; and (3) Workshop 3: Resilience and Future Heritage entailed an elaboration on the evolution of urban heritage in the establishment of a multifaceted heritage site, where modern heritage is striving for attention within an area densely occupied by historic monuments, whereby tangible and intangible heritage are equally important for the preservation of cultural identity.
Following the general structure of HERSUS activities, implementation could be described in 4 cycles: (1) Research and Investigation cycle – evidence-based studies which provide a review of representative practices in the field of architectural and urban heritage practice and education (IO1), and insights into the real condition of student and expert perception on the state-of-the-art of heritage education in the field of architectural and urban design (IO2, LTT1); (2) Testing and Piloting cycle – implementation of student workshops with innovative thematical and methodological scope (LTT2-LTT4) supported by the development of teaching statements (IO3); (3) Imagination cycle – developing imaginary master study program and student handbook in the field of sustainable built heritage (IO5 and IO6); and (4) Dissemination cycle – sharing gained knowledge and archiving intellectual heritage for the future (IO4, MEs). In the moment of application for the NEB Prizes, HERSUS is in the final phase of the imagination cycle implementation which includes: (1) design and development of an imaginary master study program (expected publishing of a Book of Courses is in April 2023) – IO5 collects experiences from the completed intellectual outputs in order to create sustainable academic courses, which would educate new generations of professionals, and (2) academic development of student handbook (expected publishing of Handbook (IO6) is in June 2023) - conceptualized in the form of learning material that consists of texts written by consortium leading professionals (teaching staff) and external experts dealing with three pillars of HERSUS. HERSUS Consortium will further proceed with its dissemination cycle aimed at sharing gained knowledge and results through seven Multiplier Events in all HERSUS countries between April and July 2023. Also, HERSUS Sharing Platform will be continuously updated with relevant content in the coming period.
From the long-term perspective, HERSUS strives (1) to enhance existing study programs at the MSc level, and (2) to achieve a stable and sustainable education framework complementary to the globally established goals in the field of architectural and urban studies education, as well as priorities in the field of urban development - the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the UNESCO/UIA Charter for Architectural Education. In this sense, the HERSUS project aims to connect the two highlighted goals of the 2030 Agenda. First, through the tendency to reach and enhance the development of inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and human settlements (Goal. 11). Secondly, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education (Goal. 4) in the field of urban and architectural design. Following this conceptual framework, HERSUS strives to generate new competences in following order: (1) Embodying sustainability values through multi-layered dissemination and promotion strategy which includes Open House for Students (promotion of the topics, skills and competences within HERSUS scope), developed HERSUS Sharing Platform (promotion of best practices) and HERSUS website (open-access educational and didactic materials – HERSUS Intellectual Outputs), (2) Embracing complexity in sustainability through stimulating critical thinking and problem-based approaches within 3 student workshops and conceptualization of new, innovative courses (fundamentals, design studio and specializations), (3) Acting for sustainability through collaborative nature of workshops and initiation of HERSUS Prize on Modern Heritage with Student category to award best master projects within the HERSUS scope, and (4) Envisioning sustainable futures through enhancing the capacities of teachers to involve innovative elements in design studio (Seminar and Training related to design studio teaching practices) and transfer them in existing learning environments.
