Architectural Heritage

The Architectural Heritage doctoral course from Politecnico di Torino places heritage at the centre of its research interests, mainly in the forms of historical buildings in urban, rural, and landscape contexts in relation to the socio-economic, cultural, productive, and administrative realities of the territory which is continuously transforming.  

Therefore, one of the fundamental approaches is the vision and critical reading of architectural heritage values on every scale.

The methodological objectives pertaining to the knowledge and recognition of universal values of architectural and landscape heritage, its conservation, enhancement, and management are developed holistically in an interdisciplinary context, using contributions from the history of architecture, restoration, geomatics, drawing, economic valorisation, architectural composition, landscape architecture, construction techniques, and technical and environmental physics, without neglecting individual disciplinary perspectives.

The specificities of scientific interests promote the awareness that research disciplinary methods constitute the foundation of any form of protection, according to the dual parameters of compatibility and sustainability, pursuing synergies with the innovative framework of digital technologies for the analysis of heritage and communication of research and interventions.

Career Opportunities 

The Architectural Heritage  doctoral course from Politecnico di Torino  aims to respond to the shared need of the scientific world and national/international cultural and socioeconomic realities to train knowledgeable professional figures and researchers characterized by a high profile. Successful Ph.D. holders will be able to contribute to the processes of information, restoration, and enhancement of heritage, and to deal with the conservation and management of assets so that they represent a cultural resource for the entire community.

The professional figures that this course intends to train − in addition to those in the academic field − are highly qualified technicians who operate in the conservation field with design and management skills at institutions and bodies for the protection of heritage, superintendencies, public administrations, museums, research institutions, and large public or private companies, involved to varying degrees in conservation and valorisation processes.

The training offered by the DPA doctoral course and the skills of the doctoral researchers also cover emerging sectors of digital technologies in the fields of geographic and spatial information, aimed at analysing and diagnosing heritage − as well as innovative tools, including multimedia ones − characterized by the term ‘Digital Humanities,’ in order to communicate the value of heritage more effectively, involving the entire community.

Courses include:

• History of architecture 
• Restoration 
• Geomatics for heritage 
• Drawings and representation 
• Estimation and economic valuation 
• Structural and seismic engineering for architectural heritage