Serie R: Reflecting History in Architecture and Vernacular Design - Directing Sustainable Futures

Rapporten "Reflecting History in Architecture and Vernacular Design - Directing Sustainable Futures" har publicerats i Novias publikationsserie Rapporter 2/2025 i april 2025.

Introduction

This publication of proceedings (anthology) presents seven peer reviewed scientific contributions presented at the international conference in Rome, 28‑31 August 2024 at Sapienza University. It was a joint venture with the annual meeting of the EAA, European Association of Archaeologists. The simulations-organized conference for knowledge production represents a cooperation between EAA and the Department of Ancient World Studies at the Sapienza University of Rome, in partnership with the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Rome, and the Lazio Region, with support from the public Universities of Rome and Latium, the National Research Council, Foreign Academies, and Professional Organizations.

The overall concept in the invitation from the organizer was ‘Persisting with Change’. This general topic was the further dived into seven sub-tracks to attract a worldwide audience: 1) The Material Record: Current Trends and Future Directions, 2) Archaeological Sciences, Humanities and the Digital Era: Bridging the Gaps, 3) The Life of Archaeological Heritage in Society, 4) Persisting with Change: Theory and Archaeological Scrutiny, 5) All Roads Lead to Rome: Multiscalar Interactions, 6) The Mediterranean from Within, and finally 7) Archaeology of Sustainability through World Crises, Climate Change, Conflicts and War (Programme Book, 2024).

The main title of the conference—Persisting with Change—may be seen as a reminder of the book from 1982 by Professor Marshall Berman called All That Is Solid Melts Into Air: The Experience of Modernity, which in turn reflects a famous statement from Karl Marx in 1948 summarizing the impact on cultural heritage and living conditions by the emerging industrialization dressed in capitalism. Alteration is the new ‘normal’. Nothing is stable forever—cultural heritage needs care, maintenance, and management to keep its cultural values and architectural qualities. The past is both changing through new interpretations and yet at hand as tradition and frozen design ideas still possible to see and read, remember, or miss in the built environment.

The broad invitation by EAA did succeed in generating scholars in different scientific fields to arrange sessions within the conference. In this case, we invited scholars representing architecture and urban design, architectural conservators, and archaeologists to participate in a multidisciplinary session called ‘All Roads Lead to Rome: Multiscalar Interactions’ with a special topic entitled ‘Reflecting History in Architecture and Vernacular Design Directing Sustainable Futures’. The field of knowledge focuses on cultural heritage values and architectural quality identified in the built environment. Thess proceedings are the result of our session, including a selection of seven contributions divided into three sections presenting different approaches to the common topic.

Background

Scholars from Finland and Sweden have proudly joined forces to organize a multidisciplinary session combining lessons from architectural history to designing sustainable futures. This approach illustrates a scope in searching for knowledge and facilitating essential insights, by looking at the past for the development of a sustainable environment facing the world of tomorrow. The common objective was to explore cultural heritages. Learning from architectural history offers possibilities for directing the future towards
sustainability, to shape our perception of the present and the future visions: ‘Historia magistra vitae’. This quote by Cicero (106–43 BC) in De Oratore, two thousand years ago, is a Latin expression meaning ‘life’s teacher’, is a personification of history, and is of Hellenistic origin (Koselleck, 2004). History puts forward architectural quality and cultural values as a long-term perspective, representing surviving changes of mode in both vernacular buildings and constructions designed by architects as expressions of their time. The idea behind this assumption is that the solutions to design problems in cultural heritage may bridge borders and be shared in societies. This is why we have added ‘Directing Sustainable Futures’ to the topic’s scope.

The topic

The multidisciplinary session was approved by the scientific committee appointed by the organiser of the conference. After acceptance, a call for papers to the session was published early in 2024. We wanted to connect history and the future. The call was looking for research of architecture and urban design, heritage, and material culture in relation to designing sustainable dwellings and settlements. This perspective primarily focuses on place and space and the ways in which design is influenced by the past, sustainable innovations, and interventions at sites. By applying architectural theory and history, and viewing vernacular heritage that fits to a thriving, sustainable future, the session was expected to provide new insights into creating architecture and ways of living that are sustainable, and suitable for the cultural characteristics of different sites in Europe. The topic intended to provide lessons from the past. The call was sent to scholars in architecture and urban design, architectural conservators, and archaeologists at universities, mainly in Europe. We asked them to submit contributions and make contributions within the scope specified in four directions:

• Sustainability, heritage, and the urban space,
• Innovation, new thinking in architecture, and learning from the past,
• Expressions of history in sustainable design,
• Architecture and archaeology in cooperation.

The call for papers generated several abstracts for the forthcoming conference. Seven of them have been developed into full papers and selected for the publication of these proceedings (anthology). The contributions in the anthology are all peer-reviewed by recognized researchers. As the organiser of the session and editors of the proceedings, it is important to uphold the scientific quality and provide quality assurance. We therefore proudly present the outcome of our call for papers in this book, divided in three sections. 

About the publication

REFLECTING HISTORY IN ARCHITECTURE AND VERNACULAR DESIGN – DIRECTING SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

EDITORS
Magnus Rönn, Helena Teräväinen and Leif Östman

PUBLISHER
Kulturlandskapet (The Cultural Landscape)
Yrkeshögskolan Novia (Novia University of Applied Sciences)
© Publisher, authors and editors

PUBLISHING TYPE
Gold open access

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Paula Molander
Kulturlandskapet (The Cultural Landscape)

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Brandförsäkringsverkets stiftelse för bebyggelsehistorisk forskning

FRONTPAGE
Salix fragilis 'Bullata' at the Lake Vättern
Photo: Magnus Rönn

KULTURLANDSKAPET (THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE)
ISBN: 978-91-983911-5-2
www.kulturland.se/portfolio/eaa-2024
Adress: Kulturlandskapet, Ekelidsvägen 5, 457 50 Fjällbacka, Sweden

YRKESHÖGSKOLAN NOVIA (NOVIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES)
ISBN: 978-952-7526-49-1 (Online), ISBN: 978-952-7526-50-7 (Print)
ISSN:1799-4179
Novia Publikation och produktion, serie R: Rapporter 2/2025
www.novia.fi
Adress: Yrkeshögskolan Novia, Wolffskavägen 31, 65200 Vasa, Finland

The authors are responsible for copyrights for photographs, illustrations and images in their chapter