Author: Charlie Root

Learn how to define, explore, conserve, utilize and manage cultural heritage.

About this course

In recent decades the sustainable conservation of cultural heritage has become a crucial global challenge. In this context, the trend towards largescale urbanization raises questions as to how new development can take place which respects and maintains the intrinsic values and unique qualities which have been handed down from previous generations, particularly within urban areas.

The course addresses these themes by providing participants with the skills to define, explore, conserve, utilize and manage cultural heritage. Throughout the course, you will be introduced to various methodologies and thematic approaches relevant to these skills using the City of Aachen as an example. Through case studies drawn from Aachen and beyond, you will explore examples at a range of spatial scales; from landscape and city scale to individual buildings and artifacts.

Revision questions and assignments will enable you to consolidate your newly acquired skills and to implement these approaches within the city or town of your choice.

What you’ll learn

• The process of defining cultural heritage
• Various methods to explore cultural heritage
• Practices dedicated to sustaining cultural heritage and its assets
• Adaptation strategies regarding the utilization and the management of cultural heritage

Course syllabus

WEEK 1: Approaching Cultural Heritage: Introduction to the Course
Week 1 covers the introduction of RWTH Aachen University, its Faculty of Architecture and the Cultural Heritage Group in which several departments team up to approach cultural heritage from various perspectives but with a comprehensive and systematic approach.

WEEK 2: Approaching Aachen: Introduction to the City and its Cultural Heritage
In Week 2, the City of Aachen and its cultural heritage are used as a starting point for the course. The history of the city is briefly outlined and its heritage features are introduced at their different spatial scales, from landscape and city scale to individual buildings and artifacts.

WEEK 3: Defining Cultural Heritage
In Week 3, the process of defining cultural heritage is discussed. This process is approached through criteria-based and also from socially based perspectives. The module gives special emphasis to UNESCO World Heritage, with the Aachen Cathedral providing an outstanding example.

WEEK 4: Exploring Cultural Heritage
Week 4 is dedicated to using various methods to approach and describe cultural heritage. These methods range from archeological to experimental research. They are again exemplified by the City of Aachen’s heritage features.

WEEK 5: Conserving, Utilizing and Managing Cultural Heritage
During Week 5, an insight in practices dedicated to sustaining cultural heritage and its assets is provided. Due to ongoing challenges such as urbanization and the globalization of markets, the conservation of heritage for intrinsic value alone is not always possible. Against this background, adaptation strategies such as the utilization and management of cultural heritage are explained during this week. Whilst developing these themes, the presenters will move beyond the example of Aachen and report on innovations which have happened in other European regions.

Meet the instructors

Frank Lohrberg, Bruno Schindler, Anke Naujokat, Alexander Markschies

Discover the value of local peoples’ traditional built environments in Asia, find inspiration in these buildings, and learn how to conserve them for future generations.

About this course

This course is about architecture. But it’s not about grand structures such as monuments or royal palaces. Rather, it is about the built environment that the ordinary people live in. Instead of the architectural techniques, we use stories to understand the processes through which people make their building decisions.

We use Asia as the backdrop for the discussion of these topics. Partly because of Asia’s rich heritage and diversity, but also due to the unique complexity that the people in the region face as they go through rapid economic, social, and cultural changes.

In this examination of the connection between vernacular buildings and peoples’ cultural identities, we will review real-world examples and talk to experts in the field. At the end of this course, you will gain a unique perspective about the everyday environment that you live in – one perhaps that you’ve never had before. You will begin to understand and appreciate the value of the ordinary built environment around you.

Whether you are an avid architect or you simply just care about the built environment you live in, this course is for you.

What you’ll learn

Throughout the course, we will examine a wide range of topics, such as:

• what is vernacular architecture
• how climate and the availability of building materials influence building decisions
• vernacular architecture in rural and urban settings
• cultural sustainability and the conservation of the vernacular built environment.

Course syllabus

Week 1: Interpreting the Vernacular
A relatively new field of study, vernacular architecture does not yet have a commonly-agreed definition. This first week we examine several definitions of vernacular architecture and discuss why the topic is especially pertinent in the context of Asia. Alongside the expert discussions and examples, we further discuss the notion that culture is a form of tradition and connect it with Asia’s vernacular architecture.

Week 2: Climate, Building Materials, and the Vernacular
Vernacular buildings are local and very much influenced by local factors, two of which are climate and local building materials. This week we study how the eight major climatic belts influence people’s building decisions. We also look at how people make use of locally available materials, and how construction methods and building rituals are passed from one generation to the next.

Week 3: Vernacular Landscapes and the Rural Built Environment
This week we talk about the vernacular landscape. We define what it is, the meaning of it, and through the lens of the rural vernacular environment, we appreciate the seemingly un-self-conscious process of building that is indeed timeless.

Week 4: The Urban Vernacular
This week we focus on cities, or the urban vernacular. We discuss the process through which the urban vernacular is built, we also delve deep into topics such as sense of place, types of urban vernacular buildings, and how the urban vernacular evolves over time.

Week 5: Informal Settlements
Have you ever paid any attention to the slum areas in cities? Why do they exist? Are they of any significance or vernacular value to people and society? Termed informal settlements, we look at these built environments in cities through economic, cultural, and social lenses, and connect this unique type of urban vernacular with the future of cities.

Week 6: Sustainable Conservation and the future of Asia’s Vernacular Architecture
In this concluding week, we differentiate conservation from preservation and discuss the challenges and approaches to conservation of Asia’s vernacular built environment. We also discuss the future of vernacular architecture in Asia by contrasting tradition and modernity, and by asking the question of how they can coexist. We argue that the best way to ensure the continuation of the built heritage in Asia is to view vernacular architecture as a living tradition that evolves with time but without losing its cultural value.

Meet the instructors

David P. Y. Lung
Professor of Architecture
University of Hong Kong

Howard Davis
Professor of Architecture
University of Oregon

Learn how data and information impact the design, sustainability and resilence of future cities.

About this course

Cities are first and foremost built for people, and in today’s world, people produce large amounts of valuable data, thus contributing to what we call “smart cities.” As almost every building and every city is a prototype, these communities are in the early stage of development and require specific attention and expertise as we advance.

Smart cities, such as Zurich and Boston, consist of human-made structures or environments that are, in some capacity, monitored, metered, networked and controlled. With this functionality, combined with stationary sensors and mobile devices, data and information have become the new building materials of future cities. Using this data, citizens are now beginning to influence the design of future cities and the re-design of existing ones.

In this architecture course, you will learn the basics of information cities and urban science research, as well as how dynamic behavior and citizen-driven learning differentiate the responsive city from the smart city. The cities we present and develop in this course use the stocks and flows of information as the main drivers of change.

To deepen your knowledge of smart cities and give a perspective on the future of these cities, we also introduce the concept of citizen design science, a combination of citizen science, urban design, and cognitive design computing. Participants will furthermore have unique access to a design research platform for citizen design science. The intelligent use of data and information is at the core of this course, and these concepts will be the next generation of participatory design and design computing environments.

What you’ll learn

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• Understand the concept of smart cities, why these are still prototypes and what the challenges are.
• Identify the principle of stocks and flows of information in cities at different scales.
• Understand the concept of citizen design science and its importance for responsive cities.
• Understand the concept of complexity science in the context of architecture and city planning.
• Learn through citizen design science how you can interact and get involved in the planning of your own cities.
• Articulate what a responsive city is, and identify the criteria for a city to be responsive.

Meet the instructors

Gerhard Schmitt
Professor of Information Architecture
ETH Zurich

Estefania Tapias
Postdoctoral fellow and Lecturer, Chair of Information Architecture
ETH Zurich

Christoph Hölscher
Professor, Cognitive Science
ETH Zurich

Dirk Helbing
Professor, Computational Social Science
ETH Zurich

Bige Tunçer
Associate Professor
Singapore University of Technology and Design

Markus Schläpfer
Lead, Urban Complexity Project
ETH Future Cities Lab

Matthias Standfest
Postdoctoral Fellow, Chair of Information Architecture
ETH Zurich

Renate Schubert
Professor for Economics
ETH Zurich

Kevin Schawinski
Professor of galaxy and black hole astrophysics
ETH Zurich

This course introduces the basic elements and trends that define sustainability practices in Architecture today. It follows an interdisciplinary approach that includes performance assessment and urban policies.

About this course

This course offers an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability in Architecture. Learners will be introduced to the basic elements of sustainability assessments (first model layer), as well as trends informing the space today.

The coursework enables students to develop a conceptual neighborhood model for assessing performance and urban policies.

In the first week, participants will learn to develop a conceptual model from the architectural elements of buildings; the basic building block of which will be the performance of materials. The second week explores methods of optimizing performance. Coursework will detail the needs and constraints inherent in selecting materials and neighborhood urban elements (the second model layer for green, blue and grey infrastructure).

In the third week, learners will develop the basic tools for introducing energy and measuring the potential impact on climate change (CO2). A new layer (third) on our neighborhood stainability model, this will be approached from a global perspective. In the fourth and final week, the course will explore techniques for a joint assessment directly connected to policy issues.

What you’ll learn

How to evaluate the sustainability performance of buildings from materials Ways to assess energy use How to account for use of urban infrastructure How to create a neighborhood model adequate for analysis and urban policy assessment

Course syllabus

Week 1: Materials relevance in buildings
Week 2: Buildings, performance, functions, and materials
Week 3: Efficiency, sustainability, and architecture
Week 4: Integrated design and Business Models

Meet the instructors

Víctor Yepes Piqueras Doctor Ingeniero de Caminos, Canales y Puertos Universitat Politècnica de Valencia