14.06.2024 | Accumoli

Presentation of the project results to the population of Accumoli by Professor Christian Hanus (Image: UWK/Norah Wild)

Introduction of the population to the Topothek (Image: UWK/Christian Hanus)

The population of Accumoli testing methods and tools from the ComPaRe project (Image: UWK/Christian Hanus)

Professors Wolfgang Neubauer and Christian Hanus explain the development and use of the multisensor robot systems from the heritageROSS project (Image: Marzio Mozzetti)

The situation in the Red Zone of Accumoli serves as the model basis for the development of tools and methods for participatory reconstruction (Image: UWK/Christian Hanus)

The situation in the Red Zone of Accumoli serves as the model basis for the development of tools and methods for participatory reconstruction (Image: UWK/Christian Hanus)

The project consortium from the ComPaRe project with the students during the test runs of the developed methods and tools

The Italian Ministry of Culture operates a depot with recovered cultural assets from Accumoli, Amatrice, and other towns in the region. Restorer Tommaso Sensini demonstrates to the group how a rescued painting is prepared for transport back to Amatrice. (UWK/Peter Morgenstein)

Professor Christian Hanus thanks the outgoing mayor Franca D’Angeli for the years of collaboration and support

The final evening serves as an important informal occasion in the project for mutual acquaintance and information exchange (Image: Marzio Mozetti)

The final evening serves as an important informal occasion in the project for mutual acquaintance and information exchange (Image: Marzio Mozetti)

A large part of the population of Accumoli was informed about the interim results of the ComPaRe and heritageROSS projects (Image: Marzio Mozetti)

Participatory Methods for Rebuilding Destroyed Cities

As part of the "ComPaRe" project led by the Research Lab for Sustainable Building Heritage, methods for reconstruction were tested in Accumoli.

June 14th, 2024

The seminar focused on model applications of participatory methods and tools, ensuring the involvement of local residents, associations, authorities, and other stakeholders in the reconstruction process. Technical tools such as "Topothek," "augmented reality," "multidimensional models" (spatial, temporal, functional), "photogrammetry" (a photographic measurement process), and "laser scanning" were utilized. These tools systematically capture local knowledge and history, identify the multilayered values of the landscape, society, and economy, and document and assess the population's needs and infrastructural conditions. This information is then prepared for consideration in the reconstruction process. Students from the project partners gain practical experience in technology-supported participatory planning processes for their professional practice, while project managers scientifically evaluate the suitability and effectiveness of the methods and tools.

Topothek Application Expansion

The Austrian-developed Topothek has proven to be a particularly suitable tool. This interactive online database captures the genius loci through localized photographs, memories, stories, and other media. "Our goal is to use Topothek to unlock collective knowledge for reconstruction. Documents from private archives support the planning basis and generate important information on the usage and history of the buildings to be reconstructed. The Topothek, whose setup in Accumoli we achieved through the ComPaRe project, will remain after the project," explains project leader Univ.-Prof. Dipl. Arch. ETH Dr. Christian Hanus from the University for Continuing Education Krems.

Use of Multisensor Robots

Activities within the ComPaRe project are synergistically utilized with the "Robotic operated multi-sensor system for digital Cultural Heritage documentation and monitoring" (heritageROSS) project, supported by the "Digital Infrastructures" program of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research. Multisensor robot systems are particularly useful in disaster areas with high levels of destruction, where human access is too dangerous. These systems assist emergency forces in planning recovery operations and monitoring changes in the condition of destroyed buildings. In Accumoli, exchanges are held with fire departments, civil protection, and the Ministry of Culture, along with trial deployments in the Red Zone. "3-D scans of the entire Red Zone form the data basis for local robot deployments," notes ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. PD Wolfgang Neubauer.

Reconstruction Museum

This coming fall, a museum for the virtual presentation of the reconstruction will be opened in front of the reconstruction school in Accumoli. The museum will showcase the results of past and ongoing projects to the public.

About the Consortium

The international partner consortium coordinated by the University for Continuing Education Krems includes the University of La Sapienza Rome, the University of Camerino, the Czech Technical University in Prague, Masaryk University in Brno, the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, the University of Technology and Economics Budapest, and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The municipality of Accumoli, the Pontifical Athenaeum Sant'Anselmo in Rome, the association "Venti di Cultura," and "Europa Nostra Austria" are involved as associated partners.

More Information

www.compare-erasmus.eu (Projekt „ComPaRe”)

www.sdr.accumoli.eu (Schule des Wiederaufbaus)

www.donau-uni.ac.at/nbe (Research Lab Nachhaltiges Baukulturelles Erbe)

www.donau-uni.ac.at/nbe/heritageross (Projekt „heritageROSS)

https://accumoli.topoteka.net (Topothek Accumoli)

Contact for Inquiries

Univ.-Prof. Dipl. Arch. ETH Dr. Christian Hanus, FEng.
Scientific Director
Research Lab Sustainable Cultural Heritage
University for Continuing Education Krems
Phone: +43 2732 893-2654
Email: christian.hanus@donau-uni.ac.at