The Teaching of Architectural Conservation in Europe

In Italian schools of architecture, restoration would from its very beginning be a defining discipline that clearly distinguished between the skills required of an architect and those possessed by a civil engineer. Now, in such a transitional world as our own, what role should be played by the teaching of restoration? This issue of how, within a rapidly changing present, such a discipline might define the professional function and figure of the architect is a matter in which a range of factors come into play. Obviously, one of these is the architectural schools themselves, but one must also bear in mind the policies adopted in the management of territorial resources and the very nature of the multiform globalised society within which one is striving to assert the role, value – and very future – of our built heritage. This is why it may be useful here to compare Italian and European schools of architectural restoration, looking at their past experiences, the analytical and interpretative approaches they have adopted, and their goals for the future. In one respect, this volume aims to compare the discipline of restoration as taught and practised in countries in which one can see a clear cultural and geographical proximity to Italy. However, at the same time, it also contains contributions whose goal is to establish a dialogue with other disciplines and centres of research that pursue a shared goal: knowledge, understanding and protection of our built heritage.