The course will deal with historical, theoretical and technical-operational basis of architectural Restoration, describing concepts and methods for the safeguard of cultural heritage through the centuries, from classical antiquity to the present day.

The course intends to supply the tools to read ancient buildings, making students able to understand the architectural evolution of monuments and critically evaluate restoration interventions. Furthermore, students will get the basis to approach restoration themes, with the awareness of different options for intervention.

The knowledge of fundamentals of History - since the classical antiquity to contemporary period - should be acquired.

The class format will be structured into two main parts: the first intends to focus on the history and theory of restoration and its development from the classical age to the nineteenth century codes. The second part will survey operative strategies for building restoration, also introducing techniques for the protection of archeological and artistic themes related to architectural heritage.

The topics of the course will be introduced with ex-cathedra lessons, illustrating the theory of the discipline through case-studies analysis. Students will be then involved in the knowledge of the discipline through a practical exercise focusing on a historical building analysis, selected in the local contest, with the aim of evaluating the architectural evolution and the restoration approach adopted. Finally, visits to museums and architectural sites will be conducted in order to complete theoretical basis with a direct examination of introduced topics.

The textbooks for this class are:
• E. Romeo, Instaurare, reficere, renovare, Celid, Torino 2007
• S. Casiello (a cura di) La cultura del restauro. Teorie e fondatori, Marsilio, Venezia 2005
• S. Caccia, Restoration in a few words. Methodology and Techniques, Huazhong
University of Science & Technology Press (HUST Press), Wu Han - China 2013 (II ed.)
• Jukka Jokilehto, A History of architectural conservation, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999
Notes or documents related to specific topics will be made available to students on the portal of teaching.

Grades will be based on practical assignment and on the final exam (written on the first date; oral for the following dates) focusing on the topics covered during the course.