UREHERIT partner organizations, leading the working group:
- National Union of Architects of Ukraine (NUAU)
- National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservationists (CNAPPC, Italy)
Working group members:
- Lilia Cannarella – CNAPPC- Italy
- Diego Zoppi – CNAPPC – Italy
- Marcello Rossi – CNAPPC – Italy
- Olena Oliynyk (NUAU)
Aims and goals of the action
The webinars are part of the deliverable D 3.2. Damage assessment and methodology. The working group focused on the development of methodologies for damage assessment and documentation of cultural heritage and built environments in Ukraine. The work addresses the need for structured, consistent, and applicable approaches to documenting, evaluating, and classifying damage in the context of russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, supporting decision-making in recovery and reconstruction processes.
The methodological work was complemented by a structured capacity-building programme developed by CNAPPC. This included a series of professional training activities and webinars focused on diagnostic techniques and restoration approaches for heritage damaged by war.
The webinars are available as open-access learning resources and support the training of local architects and engineers across Ukraine. The programme is based on Italian experience in post-disaster intervention and combines methodological frameworks with practical, case-based knowledge.
The webinar program covers the following thematic areas:
• emergency management and phases of disaster response
• diagnostic approaches to damaged heritage structures
• restoration strategies for modern and contemporary heritage
• reconstruction and restoration of historic buildings
• restoration of religious and culturally significant sites
• techniques for assessing and stabilizing damaged structures, including reinforced concrete
• application of digital tools in documentation and assessment (e.g. scanning, photogrammetry, BIM)
Webinars:
Module 1 – Emergency Management – Roberto Rocchi, Architect.
The presentation illustrates the principles of Emergency Management, also applied to the protection of the built heritage, highlighting the key role of architects and engineers in strengthening community resilience. Emergencies are defined along with their different types (from minor events to catastrophic scenarios), and the phases of disaster management are described: prevention, preparedness/mitigation, event, relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. The importance of a well-structured Emergency Plan is emphasized, including roles, procedures, communication, evacuation, and business continuity, supported by SWOT analysis. A case study is presented on the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the Italian contribution to the emergency response.
Module 2 – Modern Cultural Heritage Restoration – Sara Di Resta, Architect – Università IUAV di Venezia.
The module explores the principles of restoration in modern and contemporary architecture, which straddles the line between preservation and risk, and proposes various methods of restoration or repair. It examines original “modern” materials and the concept of reuse. Since there is no single correct way to approach restoration, the module illustrates different approaches through various case studies on reuse.
Module 3 – Places of worship: reconstruction/restoration – Andrea Benedetti, Architect – Università IUAV di Venezia.
The presentation offers an overview of international case studies related to the diagnostic of restoration and reconstruction of religious buildings damaged by war events, highlighting strategies, criteria, and key operational challenges. Through examples such as the Frauenkirche in Dresden, the Oratory of San Filippo Neri in Bologna, Coventry Cathedral, Mostar, Sarajevo, and Odessa, it addresses themes of identity, cultural values, intervention regulations, authenticity, and anastylosis, comparing approaches based on continuity and discontinuity in reconstruction
Module 4 – Restoration/Reconstruction of Historic Buildings – Nur Umar, Architect – Visiting professor Università IUAV Venezia.
The module explores the techniques of diagnosing and restoring historic buildings from a technical perspective. It covers everything from the study of original documents, the production period of materials, traditional and industrial techniques, to structural and environmental assessments, as well as new tools such as scanning, photogrammetry, digital archives, BIM techniques, and the potential of artificial intelligence.
Module 5 – Techniques for diagnosing and restoring historical heritage damaged by war. Reinforced concrete building: History, diagnostic, renovation, cases of studio – Eng. Giovanni Cardinal.
This module aims to provide the knowledge required to understand damage to recent cultural heritage structures (reinforced concrete structures), as well as emergency intervention techniques involving temporary consolidation or stabilization measures. The module aims to provide the knowledge required to assess the extent of the damage sustained and to identify potential restoration, reconstruction or demolition measures.
It begins with a brief overview of the evolution of reinforced concrete technology, before going on to describe the defects and damage affecting reinforced concrete structures.
This module aims to provide the knowledge necessary to understand damage to structures associated with recent cultural heritage (reinforced concrete structures), as well as emergency response techniques involving temporary consolidation or stabilization measures. The course aims to provide the knowledge needed to assess the extent of damage sustained and to diagnose potential restoration, reconstruction, or demolition interventions. It starts with a short history of evolution of concrete technique, the it describes the pathologies and damages in reinforced concrete structure,
The second part of the module aims to provide knowledge for structural design focused on the restoration of historic or contemporary structures while respecting the heritage value of buildings with cultural heritage characteristics. Finally, the module presents a series of best practices and “typical” interventions for the most common scenarios following traumatic events such as explosions or strong seismic waves
The module is divided into 4 topics
- Topic 1: Reinforced concrete structure: short history, theory evolution of technical standards
- Topic 2: Pathologies and damages in reinforced concrete structures – concrete rheology – structural details
- Topic 3: Structural systems of historical buildings – assessment and diagnosis
- Topic 4: Restoration techniques for old buildings on reinforced concrete structures – case studies
More information: from 30th April 2026 the webinars will be publicly accessible at the Youtube account of the UREHERIT consortium Coordinator: Lietuvos Architektų sajunga / Architects Association of Lithuania
“UREHERIT: Architects for heritage in Ukraine. Recreating identity and memory” is a project co-funded by the European Union under a dedicated call for proposals to support Ukrainian displaced people and the Ukrainian Cultural and Creative Sectors. The project is a cooperation between the consortium of 11 organizations: Architects Association of Lithuania (LT), Architects Sweden (SE), Federal Chamber of Architects and Chartered Engineers BKZT (AT), Royal Danish Academy, The Institute of Technology and Architecture IBT (DK), Romanian Order of Architects OAR (RO), The National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservationists CNAPPC (IT), Federal Chamber of German Architects BAK (DE), Estonian Association of Architects (EE), The National Union of Architects of Ukraine (UA), Ro3kvit: Urban Coalition for Ukraine (UA), Kharkiv School of Architecture (UA) with the Architects’ Council of Europe (EU) as associated partner.
GRP-EACEA-CREA-2023-COOP-UA-EXT
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA (European Education and Culture Executive Agency). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
