On Monday, April 23, BRAU4 starts in Athens! The 4th Biennial Urban and Architectural Heritage will take place at the Hellenic Maritime Museum of Piraeus. The programme, which includes many distinguished speakers, is to be found here

“Hidden Cultural Heritage” is the itinerant Congress of BRAU4, the 4th Biennial of Urban and Architectural Heritage.

Congress Theme

The International Congress on the theme of the Hidden Cultural Heritage (HCH) wants to draw attention on the protection strategies and management of the underwater cultural heritage in the Mediterranean sea and the underground and within buildings cultural heritage of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

Biennial of Architectural and Urban Restoration

BRAU4 organizing commitee chose the theme above to explore, in a more holistic approach, the incredible landscape and seascape that was developed by thousands of years of human colonization, migration, trade and intercultural contact in the Mediterranean.

The fundamental purpose of the HCH Congress is to contribute to the elaboration of policies and strategies for the preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage by fostering synergisms between modern science and local knowledge. Hence, the HCH Congress organizes an international forum in which a wide range of risks threatening this specific cultural heritage are examined and discussed in a multidisciplinary perspective, in order to encourage both the development of cultural policies intended to preserve cultural diversities and the setting up of areas of communication between public and private sectors. The strategy followed is to investigate an interdisciplinary approach to the vulnerability of underwater and underground cultural heritage to hazards and prevention measures.

The architectural heritage hidden inside later buildings includes both the remains of ancient buildings and the inappropriate changes made on parts of a building that are considered essential for its stylistic characterization.

The HCH Congress organizing committee has developed a number of sub-themes and session ideas, and will soon be seeking session organizers that will assist in exploring the conference theme.

The sub-themes include:

HCH UNDER WATER

  1. Itineraries of visitation to the seaside towns linked by historical periods of colonization and intercultural contacts in the Mediterranean area.
  2. Maritime Cultural Landscapes and Seascapes: Interdisciplinary Approaches.
  3. Underwater infrastructures: tracings of ancient roads, antique infrastructure along the river and port margins periodically submerged by water.
  4. Technological Approaches for the conservation and valorization of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and Maritime Archaeology.
  5. Vulnerability of maritime and under water cultural heritage to hazards and prevention measures.
  6. Permanent Maintenance and Restoration projects.
  7. Cross cultural exchanges.
  8. Compatible protection and sustainable restoration of the Hidden Cultural Heritage.
  9. Virtual access to underwater Cultural Heritage.
  10. Underwater Cultural Heritage and Tourism.

HCH UNDER GROUND

  1. Itineraries of visitation to the underground architectural rests of ancient towns linked by historical periods of colonization and intercultural contacts in the Mediterranean area, from Cyprus to Spain-Marocco cultural axes.
  2. Permanent maintenance of the archaeological underground constructions: ancient cisterns, caves of water systems, underground vaults, underground temples, rests of entire cities.
  3. Underground infrastructures: tracings of ancient roads, labyrinths.
  4. Interdisciplinary technological approaches for the conservation and valorization of the underground cultural heritage.
  5. Vulnerability of the under ground cultural heritage to hazards and prevention measures.
  6. Virtual Access to underground Hidden Cultural Heritage.
  7. The underground Archaeological Heritage and Tourism.
  8. Conservation and Restoration works and projects.

HCH INSIDE EXISTING BUILDINGS

  1. Discovery of the remains of ancient buildings incorporated into later buildings, in both underground and elevation spaces.
  2. The historical stratifications: reuse what already exists, transforming the constraints imposed by the site as opportunities to make a new architecture.
  3. Construct on the built: regenerate, recycle, repropose the existing.
  4. Camouflaged towers incorporated in later buildings.
  5. The presence of historic architecture inside the modern.
  6. Belated changes of finishing elements that alter the architectural character of the building.
  7. Vulnerability and prevention measures of the cultural heritage within buildings.
  8. Interdisciplinary technological approaches for the conservation and valorisation of the Hidden Cultural Heritage inside new buildings.
  9. Virtual Access to the remains of ancient buildings inside later buildings.

A wide range of people are encouraged to attend including those from universities and other educational institutions (including secondary schools), government agencies, museums, NGOs, IGOs, the private sector and also members of the general public.