Call for Abstracts

Conservation/Creation | The contribution of Conservation to urban futures

In 2024 seventeen years will have passed since the 1st Workshop of the EAAE-Conservation Network, held in Genoa (2007) on the subject: ‘Teaching Conservation/Restoration of the Architectural Heritage: Goals, Contents and Methods’. It is time to go back to the origins and look to the future.

In the context of a fast-changing world, affected by natural and human hazards and by social and economic transformations, the workshop intends to discuss the role that Conservation can play as a positive source of energy, ideas, and tools in supporting the quality lives of places. We have chosen the city of Genova and its historic centre as a place to ground our work. Genova is a medium-sized city (about 600.000 inhabitants) with one of the larger and more ancient historic centres in Europe, characterized by layered traces of urban and architectural history and by a very complex social and economic situation. It can thus be an interesting vantage point for reflection about the future of urban settlements around Europe, which face deep phenomena of change, such as gentrification, loss of population and economic activities, immigration and increasing cultural mixite. 
From this perspective, the management of change often seems to set in opposition the need for conserving the physical inheritance, with all the values embedded in its buildings and spaces, against those of novelty and of new solutions. Conservation is seen as a reactive response, at the opposite pole to creative action. It is not. Even if we looked only at the conservation of material aspects, it implies change, innovation, and some degree of transformation. If we go beyond this level, we can easily see that the restoration project brings something new into being, renovating our living environments while respecting their histories and values. The workshop intends to move beyond polarization. Conservation is not simply the opposite of creation. 
The term “creation” designates “the act or process of making,  producing, or building something” (Cambridge Dictionary). 
It is a fact of life that contemporary additions are sometimes necessary to give a useful life to historical spaces, buildings, and settlements, thus involving creation as part of a conservation process. At the same time, an appropriate new use assigned to a redundant old building, as well as the regeneration of urban settlements, are conservation acts involving creativity, leading to the creation of a new life for heritage resources. And finally, conservation results in the creation of new social and economic values. 
The workshop will put before the participants different situations and problems existing or emerging within the historic centre of Genova as a means of generating dialogue and debate on the following topics:

  1. Conservation as a medium for creation (or an expression of creation)
  2. Physical conservation as a condition for social and cultural vitality
  3. Old and new as dimensions of the future: the embrace of hybridity.

The call for abstracts is available for download at the bottom of this webpage (File section).

Abstract Instructions

Authors are invited to submit a short abstract by June 10th, 2024. The abstract should contain:

  • Name of the author(s)
  • Title
  • Institution
  • Country
  • The specification of EAAE member/non-member
  • Topic (1, 2 or 3)
  • Text (about 2000 characters spaces included)

Abstracts should be sent by e-mail to: eaae.conservation2024@unige.it

The template is available for download at the bottom of this webpage (File section).

Registration

For registration, access to the link provided below and fill in the registration form:
https://forms.office.com/e/KxftRTxpfW

Key Dates

  • 10th June 2024 – NEW Deadline for the submission of abstracts and registration
  • 30th June 2024 - Acceptance of registration and abstracts
  • 25th July 2024 - Deadline for  IX EAAE Conservation Network Workshop registration fee payment
  • 10th- 13th September 2024 – IX EAAE Conservation Network Workshop

As in any previous EAAE Conservation Network Workshop, the final contributions will be prepared and published only after the workshop that will be held in Genova.

Scientific and Organising Committees

The EAAE 2024 Conservation Network IX Workshop is organized by:

  • EAAE-Conservation Network 
  • Architecture and Design Department DAD
  • School of Specialization in Architectural and Landscape Heritage of the University of Genova

Scientific Committee

  • Loughlin Kealy (Emeritus Professor of Architecture, University College Dublin, Co-coordinator of EAAE Conservation Network)
  • Stefano Francesco Musso (Co-coordinator of the EAAE Conservation Network, University of Genoa)
  • Rodica Crisan (Ion Mincu University, Bucharest)
  • Donatella Fiorani (University Sapienza, Rome)
  • Giovanna Franco (University of Genoa)
  • Teresa Cunha Ferreira (University of Porto)

Organizing Committee

(Architecture and Design Department dAD - University of Genova)

  • Stefano Francesco Musso, Full Professor (University of Genoa)
  • Federica Pompejano, Fixed-term researcher (University of Genoa)
  • Marta Casanova, Fixed-term researcher (University of Genoa)
  • Simonetta Acacia, PhD student (University of Genoa)
  • Cecilia Moggia, Research fellow (University of Genoa)
  • Sara Mauri, Postdoctoral researcher (University of Genoa)
  • Sara Rocco, Postdoctoral researcher (University of Genoa)
  • Luca Marasso, Architect