COURSE 1.3: The scientific culture applied to the analysis of the 20th century built heritage (3 ECTS)

Introduction:

The course aims to introduce students to the context of Scientific Methodology from a conceptual and practical point of view, with application to the built heritage of the 20th century. It focuses on three objectives: the scientific method in Construction and Architecture, learning to use international scientific databases and the multidisciplinary teamwork. The course will start form the introduction to the fundamental concept of two languages of patterns by Christopher Alexander and its possible relations to the cultural heritage. It will continue further with various research methodologies which could be used for both direct and indirect identification of architectural patterns such as fractal analysis, mathematical graph theory, agent-based modelling, etc. Theory, case analysis and practical tasks (see the "Dossiers for Block 1" page) will be included. These three concepts are fundamental for a highly qualified future professional or researcher.

Course objectives:

To acquire competences for the development of scientific research methodology, applied to the built heritage of the 20th century.

To train for an efficient design, elaboration, writing and exhibition of scientific works.

To acquire and deepen knowledge that contributes to a basis or opportunity to be original in the development and/or application of ideas, in a research context.

To acquire skills for communicating conclusions, knowledge and the reasons that justify them, for specialized and non-specialized audiences, in a clear and unambiguous way.

To acquire leanings skills that allow students to continue studying in a self-directed or autonomous manner.

Calendar:

25/11/2024 - 5/12/2024

Teachers:

Coordinators: Santiago Sánchez Beitia and Daniel Luengas Carreño

Lecturers: Kęstutis Zaleckis, Kaunas University of Technology and Urtzi Llano Castresana, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

Invited lectures: Kebi Jiménez, Gipuzkoa Campus Library UPV/EHU, David Ordóñez Castañón, University of Seville and Jose Antonio Chica Paez, Tecnalia Research & Innovation

Content:

The course has the following Lectures (L) and Trips (T):

Lecture 0 (L0): Presentation of the Course: Organization, contents and teachers.

By Full Professor Santiago Sánchez-Beitia, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

Lecture 1 (L1): Magister class: The scientific culture Part I.

By Full Professor Santiago Sánchez-Beitia, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

Lecture 2 (L2): The Urola Valley Railway Corridor

By Dr. Urtzi Llano, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

Trip 1 (T1): Visit to the Corridor (Bring comfortable clothes for walking on a greenway)

By Dr. Urtzi Llano, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

Lecture 3 (L3): An example of an Extraordinary Doctoral Thesis Award

By Dr. David Ordóñez Castañón, University of Seville

Lecture 4 (L4): Digitalisation for the Built Environment. TECNALIA vision and experience in Collaborative Research Projects funded by the European Commission.

By Dr. Jose Antonio Chica, Tecnalia Research & Innovation

Lecture 5 (L5): Magister class: The scientific culture Part II. Importance of cultural heritage, fundamentals of scientific approach, Qualitative models of urban structure.

By Dr. Kęstutis Zaleckis, Kaunas University of Technology

Lecture 6 (L6): Magister class: The scientific culture Part II. Mathematical graph based models (Space Syntax), Fractal analysis, Some experiments.

By Dr. Kęstutis Zaleckis, Kaunas University of Technology

Lecture 7 (L7): Search and management of scientific information for architectural research

By Mr. Kebi Jiménez, Gipuzkoa Campus Library UPV/EHU


In addition to these Lectures (L) and Trip (T), two Clase Exercises (CE1 and CE2) and a main Course Exercise (Co) will be carried out throughout the two weeks of the course.


Bibliography

Sánchez Beitia, S. (2020). Las Construcciones Históricas: Los análisis previos y la cultura científica. UPV/EHU. ISBN 978-84-1319-254-3

Sánchez Beitia, S. (2020). Faros con valor patrimonial/histórico de España. Website: https://www.faros-historicos-de-espana.es/

UPV/EHU. Databases and e-resources of the library of the University of the Basque Country. Website: https://www.ehu.eus/es/web/biblioteka/datu-baseak-eta-e-baliabideak

Christopher, A.; Ishikawa, S.; Silverstein, M.; Jacobson, M.; Fiksdahl-King, I.; Angel, S. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction; (Center for Environmental Structure Series); Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK.

Hillier, B. Space is the Machine: A Configurational Theory of Architecture; Space Syntax: London, UK, 2007.

Zaleckis, K.; Doğan, H.A.; Arce, N.L. Evaluation of the Interventions to Built Heritage: Analysis of Selected Façades of Kaunas by Space Syntax and Sociological Methods. Sustainability 2022, 14, 4784. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084784

Links to the Heritage National Plans

Text of the National Plan for Cultural Landscape

Text of the National Plan for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage of the 20th Century

Text of the National Plan for Preventive Conservation

Text of the National Plan for Industrial Heritage (in spanish)

The Nizhny Tagil Charter for the Industrial Heritage

Evaluation and Resit rules:

All the courses/subjects and Master Dissertation have jointly evaluation rules based in the quality of the practical works proposed by the teachers. The student and teachers presence is mandatory. Related with the courses/subjects all the teachers involved in them have to send to the coordinator teacher the individual evaluation of the students.

The evaluation level (excellent, good and deficient) will be taken by the coordinator following the opinions of the teachers involved and in agreement with them. The evaluation level will be discussed with the student. If a student fail a course (deficient level), at least one resit per course/subject within the period Block will be allowed. This resit will take into account the new data and solutions reported by the student. The resit evaluation process will be similar to the initial one.

Students with a deficient level after resitting a course/subject will be remain bound to the EMJMD until ends of the respective Block where the course is allocated. In these cases, the Academic Committee will review the study performance status of the student and advises on continuation of the programme in accordance with their regulations. Students with very weak study performance (decided by the Academic Committee) may lose their scholarship or may be advised to end their study. Students who quite ARURCOHE early, but have successfully completed several courses/subjects, will get a certificate stating the courses for which they have earned credits (in ECTS). This decision will be communicated to the Erasmus+ Program office.