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Memorandum Of Understanding Accumoli
Memorandum of Understanding Between Danube University Krems, Accumoli Municipality and Partner Universities
November 12th 2019
During a ceremony on November 12, Rector Friedrich Faulhammer signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the Scuola di Ricostruzione di Accumoli in Accumoli, Italy for the Danube University Krems. The school, coordinated by Danube University Krems, bundles the activities of the university partners from Italy, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The goal is to rebuild the central Italian city of Accumoli, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 2016/17. The reconstruction school also serves research and teaching.
The Scuola di Ricostruzione di Accumoli specifically combines the expertise of the University of La Sapienza Rome, the University of Camerino, the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant'Anselmo, the Technical and Economic University of Budapest, the Masaryk University of Brno, and the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava (STU) , the Institute for Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the Department of Building and Environment of the Danube University Krems. A related Memorandum of Understanding on the aims and tasks of the reconstruction school was signed on November 12th in Accumoli by the partners as well as by the Mayor Franca D’Angeli and Vice Mayor Stefano Petrucci for the Accumoli community. Her principal, Mag. Friedrich Faulhammer and Univ.-Prof. Signed for the Danube University Krems as coordinator of the reconstruction school. Dr. Christian Hanus, Dean of the Faculty of Education, Art and Architecture, the Memorandum of Understanding. With the signing, the rooms were officially handed over to their use. The school is operated by the partner institutions in cooperation with the responsible political and regulatory authorities, local planners and the affected population.
Earthquake-proof wooden construction
On a hill above the destroyed old town, the Comune di Accumoli provides the premises of the Scuola di Ricostruzione di Accumoli in a newly built, earthquake-proof wooden construction. In addition to being used for teaching and research purposes by the partner institutions, tourist activities are also planned here. Accommodation should also be built in the immediate vicinity of the school to support the reconstruction school in its overall functionality.
Reconstruction after a holistic view
After the earth quaked in central Italy on August 24, 2016, almost 300 people in the municipalities of Accumoli, Amatrice and Arquata del Tronto lost their lives. The region was hit by several severe earthquakes until 2017.
The damage caused by earthquakes affects more than just the obvious destruction of the structure. Economic and ecological cycles of action as well as social, cultural and religious structures are also massively affected. The reconstruction of the city is based on the experiences from the Venzone earthquake in 1976. At that time, the architect Roberto Pirzio-Biroli rebuilt the Friulan town of Venzone as true to its original state as possible, in order to enable connection to social, cultural and economic structures. On the part of the city of Venzone there is a willingness to support the Scuola di Ricostruzione di Accumoli with knowledge and experience. Pirzio-Biroli is available as a teacher and staff member of the Danube University Krems of the reconstruction school in Accumoli.
Transdisciplinary access and students from many countries
For an effective and sustainable reconstruction of earthquake-damaged locations, the far-reaching socio-cultural connections in the overall context must be taken into account. Thanks to its transdisciplinary research approach, which combines disciplines, basic research, application and society, Danube University Krems is well prepared for its tasks as coordinator of the Scuola di Ricostruzione di Accumoli. The experience gained in the reconstruction of L’Aquila after the earthquake in 2009 flows into the work of the Scuola di Ricostruzione di Accumoli. It offers students of the "Rehabilitation and Revitalization" university course at Danube University Krems the opportunity to deepen and supplement theoretical knowledge through on-site practice. In addition, students from various universities from several European countries will work at this school in the future. The coordination of teaching and research has been entrusted to the Danube University Krems, which is developing the teaching and research program with the partners of the reconstruction school.