BCE-RPR [ONGOING] | Ecclesiastical cultural heritage: risk assessment and planning of prevention and regeneration

In collaboration with the National Office of Cultural Heritage and Ecclesiastical Buildings of the Italian Conference of Bishops, the project aims to offer an organic view of the natural and anthropic risks that affect the ecclesiastical building heritage.

The protection of this heritage against risks is becoming increasingly important because it concerns not only the material conservation of buildings and their artistic value, but also the social and memorial values they represent for local communities. Italy’s numerous churches are constantly threatened by inaccurate maintenance that increases their vulnerability. The project aims to investigate the development of a shared strategy to support decisions on the preservation and development of ecclesiastical heritage through a multidisciplinary approach that involves a multi-scalar analysis of the problem.

The research involves different disciplines, sensitivities and professional skills: from architectural historians and experts in the ecclesiastical heritage field to engineers, urban planners and environmental sociologists.

The project was presented at the 2018 Koiné seminar hosted in Naples from the 15^th to the 17^th of  September. The contribution is presented in the e-book Patrimonio culturale ecclesiastico, rischio e prevenzione. Analisi e politiche territoriali per un approccio multiscalare al rischio sismico by Giulia De Lucia and Andrea Longhi, published by Dist, Politecnico di Torino in 2019.

The e-book is available at this address

---

Specific project goals

The project was supported by a research agreement with the the National Office of Cultural Heritage and Ecclesiastical Buildings of the Italian Conference of Bishops and aims to achieve three goals:

• Investigation of the consistency and density of religious cultural heritage in Italy and preliminary assessment of the risk categories to which it is subjected.
• Development of a method to obtain a priority scale for structural, maintenance and risk reduction interventions on a regional and local scale.
• Foreseeability and enhancement of strategies that include risk assessment in the ordinary life of local communities to improve their resilience.

---

Project presentation

The project has been presented at Politecnico di Torino during the R3C Kick-Off meeting and officially presented during the National Day of the Italian Conference of Bishops entitled “Manutenzione e Prevenzione. La tutela delle persone” held in L' Aquila from the 19^th to the 20^th of September 2019.

Link to the Kick-Off meeting

Link to the event page

Link to the syntesis video

The project was also presented at FRH Biennial Conference 2021: "Continuity in Care and Safeguarding" | Brussels, Belgium

Link to the conference videos

Link to the event page

---

First results of the project:

Main objectives of the project, research tools and first results are described in the

BCE-RPR Executive Summary.

---

Other scientific contribution and publications:

---

Project period

(2018 - ongoing)

---

 

CEI

---

 

Andrea Longhi

---

Disciplinar Scientific Referents

Grazia Brunetta, Angioletta Voghera, Rosario Ceravolo, Silvia Crivello

---

Operative Scientific Coordinator 

Giulia De Lucia

---

Specific Research groups

Territorial studies: Benedetta Giudice, Stefano Salata

Seismic analysis: Martina Milandri, Anna Sblano, Erica Lenticchia

Cultural heritage: Silvia Beltramo, Erica Meneghin, Elena Contarin, Lorenzo Mondino