Strategies, Tools and Anticipatory Images for Contemporary Research

An international workshop in the University of Ferrara at Department of Architecture

Attending a PhD programme is an opportunity for the young researchers to rethink their competences acquired during training or professional activities inside the complex and structured architectural scenario. Increasing the awareness and capture adequate tools to face this new challenge is a crucial step to research independently and in team. In this context, the development of proper training courses is fundamental to design a complete and up-to-date framework on theories, methodologies, procedures and operative tools to address and allow a full control of the PhD candidate’s research activity. In particular such a need for educational attention, it is basilar in the current peculiar historic moment where time, methods, consequences and complexities are amplified by global shared aims and perspectives, sadly affected by emergencies criticalities. The indispensable multidisciplinary approach in researches, related to the in-depth multicriteria analysis, needs to raise awareness on scientific methodologies and instruments adopted by each different architectural disciplines. Inside this inspiring and ambitious outline, the Third PhD International Workshop - International Doctorate Architecture and Urban Planning (IDAUP) takes place at the Department of Architecture at University of Ferrara with the Polis University of Tirana and their Associate Members 2016. The designed educational path is a collection of national and international experiences and scientific reports exposition, chosen to present the largest possible scientific approaches to research. Theoretical researches on architectural, environmental, technological and urbanistic design process, and innovation examples and experiments towards patent results, are parts of a common educational doctoral training, melted together as a unique complex and updated proposal able to achieve high quality standards in PhD candidates’ formation. Throughout Seminars and Conferences, the Workshop is an opportunity to know and go deep inside the current scenario thanks to case studies related to PhD programme curricula, Architecture and Urban Planning.

November 17^th, 2016

The different topics that will be covered in the Seminar titled “ICT Tools in multidisciplinary approaches to Research” should attempt ambitiously to offer themselves – within technology culture field – as demonstrative evidences of crossing known operating boundaries. The reality of Intangible or Digital Technologies, applied to architectural and technological design scenery, seems nowadays as a kind of mirror of that “infinite game” that is considered the scientific research, where the players involved are the researchers. As wrote by J.P. Carse “Finite players play within boundaries; infinite players play with boundaries. (…) But infinite games are more mysterious. Their object is not winning, but ensuring the continuation of the play. The rules may change, the boundaries may change, even the participants may change – as long as the game is never allowed to came to an end.”¹ Dr. Ph.D Federica Maietti and Dr. Ph.D. Marco Medici were invited to present the european Research Project INCEPTION_ Inclusive Cultural Heritage in Europe through 3D Semantic Modelling. A Research Project funded by Horizon 2020 Framework and coordinate by the Department of Architecture of Ferrara (Scientific Coordinator Prof. R. Di Giulio). The project aims to develop innovative methodologies to build 3D interoperable models for an inclusive approach to Cultural Heritage, capable to increase an interdisciplinary knowledge of the cultural European identity by different kind of users, from students to researchers, (architectural) professionals and curators, to unskilled users. An example of an innovative and strongly multidisciplinary research both for the adopted tools and for the ambitious goals it set as the creation of procedures, methodologies of 3D scan and modelling. Ultimate goals are the conservation, valorization, design and management for the cultural heritage.

Dr. Silvia Imbesi is called to describe the innovative dynamics in place at the Tecnopolo TekneHub Res. Center of Ferrara. Specifically the research project HABITAT “Home Assistance Based on Internet of Things to reach Autonomy for all users” will be presented. A research funded by Operative Regional Programme FESR 2014-20, operative within the Industrial Design scientific field, aimed to develop the User Centered Design, the Inclusive Design, and the prototyping (and tests) of smart objects.

Note
¹ see James P. Carse, “Finite and Infinite Games. A vision of Life and Possibility”, Ballantine Books, New York, 1986, ISBN 0-345-34184-8.

November 18^th, 2016

The seminar “From Research Planning to Experimental Activity for Hypothesis Validation” aims to focus on how the theoretical hypothesis validation process comes to light from specific doctoral or alternative research paths. An avantgarde research experience leads indeed the researcher both to be obliged to demonstrate the validity of his hypothesis, and to assure the possibility of replication of innovative theoretical models aimed to achieve the predetermined goals of the experience. Experimentation is an integral and ahead of the times element of the architectural design building or ‘reification’ and for this reason it needs cross multidisciplinary skills of the involved researchers. This had to be linked to the absolute strictness in methods definition, to the control and understanding of the emerging empirical data and to the ability to efficaciously summarize the outcomes to lead the research to success. Which are the accountabilities and specific skills requested to the researcher in this domain? Which are the requirements, the design criticalities to be faced and which could be the operational outcomes? Which are the proficiency boundaries or the coordination tasks to apply in experimental action? It has been pointed to decline these topics in a scalar articulated way through the description of specific best practices experiences by a homogeneous group of speakers according to their academic training that has reached excellence results, nationally and internationally, through experimental validations and prototype making activities directed to patent. Both young Ph.D, as Dr. Marta Calzolari and Dr. Shahryar Habibi, and professors and researchers architectural technology designers as Prof. Ph.D. Massimo Rossetti and Dr. Ph.D Elena Giacomello from IUAV in Venice. The Doctoral formation – now more than ever – has to aim not just to the “knowhow”, but overall to the “team work knowhow”, this to the comprehension and the sharing of the principles of the applied multidisciplinary. Also for this reason it has been decided to end the seminary with a visit to the TekneHub Research Centre in Ferrara.

Here, Dr. Ph.D Maddalena Coccagna will show to the participants the ongoing and starting activities of various research teams. Following the scientific research coordinators Prof. Ph.D Giovanni Zannoni and Dr. Eng. Michele Bottarelli, with other members of the research team, will introduce the European funded Research Project LIFE Herotile including the visit of the Research Labs and of Experimental Mock Up realized at TekneHub.

November 21^st, 2016

After seven years from the first symposium held in Barcelona by Professor Manuel Navarro Gausa (UNIGE) on the impacts of tourism on metropolitan systems and cities around the Mediterranean, the event wants to propose to graduating students and PhD candidates a critical revision of that first work carried out through research up until the elaboration of new theories. Gausa will give a conference with the very same title of the famous symposium, but adding a question mark at the end, posing new questions: “Intelligent Coasts?”.

Where does the Project of a Tourist Metropolitan Region like Barcelona start and how is it being redefined nowadays? How is its tourist capacity measured? What are the indicators to level the influence area of a coastal tourist metropolis? What is its current competitiveness level within a market in search of qualitative differentiation more than quantitative surplus? Barcelona, which is the main case studies of debate, wants to be a creative and a tourist metropolis that accepts the challenge of reinventing itself through a new tale, capable of drawing up new criteria for an urban model with quality of life and coherent with its vocation of tourist destination.

November 23^rd-24^th, 2016

ISSUES AND DYNAMICS OF URBAN REGENERATION IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

The event is structured upon two different initiatives: firstly, a collective seminar during which some of the latest researches and Master's thesis conducted within the Architecture Department UNIFE will be presented (Saint-Louis du Senegal, Cairo, La Havana); it will be introduced and moderated by some experts in the field, as Professor Romeo Farinella (DA – University Center for International Development Cooperation – UINFE), Professor Camillo Boano (UCL – London), and Professor Michelangelo Savino (DCEAE – UNIPD) as discussants. Secondly, a conference titled “Fragility and Potentials: the Project for the City in the Global South” held by Professor Boano, Director of the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment's Development Planning Unit.

The main aim of the event is to present examples of urban planning carried out in some of the Global South countries, identifying the major and most recurring challenges and issues as well as presenting possible methodologies and processes to manage them. The seminar approach will ease communication and the exchange of ideas, allowing V year students and PhD candidates to actively participate to the debate.

November 25^th, 2016

The seminar aims to propose a Thought on a PhD on issues of architectural design methods and objectives. In particular on the relationship between applied and theoretical research in relation to issues of architectural design at different scales of intervention. Antonino Saggio, coordinator for several years of the PhD in Theory and project of the University La Sapienza of Rome will bring his contribution on the theme starting from the experience took place in all the roman PhD cycles, but also the strength of its research expertise in the field of ' Information Technology applied to issues of architectural design.