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HERSUS Project Open House in Thessaloniki took place from the 8th till the 16th of June 2023 with an exhibition open to the public at the Centre for Architecture of the Municipality of Thessaloniki. The exhibition presented the activities and results of HERSUS Project, including six Intelectual Outputs, three International Student Workshops, awarded projects with Prize on Modern Built Heritage, as well as HERSUS international presence and media projection. The HERSUS project proposes enhancing and testing of innovative teaching practices in the field of sustainability of the built heritage and strives to enhance the competence and motivation of educators and researchers to include curricula elements that will have tangible results, preparing students and educators to become real actors of the environmental change.

The UCY HERSUS OPEN HOUSE activity of the International HERSUS project took place at the Department of Architecture of the University of Cyprus (UCy) on June 7th. The exhibition presented the activities and results of HERSUS Project, including (1) Presentation of HERSUS Intellectual Outputs (01: Review of the Best Practices on Educating Sustainability and Heritage, 02: Questionnaire for the State of Art, 03: Statements for Teaching through Design for Sustainability of the Built Environment and Heritage Awareness, 04: HERSUS Sharing Platform) and other activities (timeline of the Hersus outputs, main achievements etc), (2) Results of the three International HERSUS Student Workshops (C2: Student Workshop 1: Sustainable Reconstruction in Urban Areas; C3: Student Workshop 2: Adaptive Reuse; C4: Student Workshop 3: Resilience and Climate Change), (3) Awarded projects of the HERSUS Prize on Modern Built Heritage (awarded finalist and shortlisted proposals for each of the four categories – Education Students, Education Instructors, Practice and Research). The exhibition was held at the Lobby of the UCY Department of Architecture at the same time as the students’ final projects exhibition for the academic year 2022-2023. The event was well attended, with participation and interest by students and faculty, as well as representatives from various municipalities, public entities and of course from practice. Moreover, introductory keynotes for the event were delivered by the university’s Vice-Rector of Academic Affairs, the Vice- Dean of the School of Engineering, the president of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber, the president of the Cyprus Architects Association and last but by no means least, the UCY Hersus coordinator.

On 1 APRIL 2023, in the framework of the IUAV OPEN DAY, the Iuav OPEN HOUSE activity of the international HERSUS project took place. For the occasion, the area dedicated to the University's Master's and Bachelor's degree courses in Architecture hosted Hersus POSTERS, DIGITAL MATERIALS AND POSTCARDS for the presentation of the 4 published Intellectual Outputs (01: Review of the Best Practices on Educating Sustainability and Heritage, 02: Questionnaire for the State of Art, 03: Statements for Teaching through Design for Sustainability of the Built Environment and Heritage Awareness, 04: HERSUS Sharing Platform), the 3 International Workshops (C2: Student Workshop 1: Sustainable Reconstruction in Urban Areas; C3: Student Workshop 2: Adaptive Reuse; C4: Student Workshop 3: Resilience and Climate Change) and the dissemination activities of the project, such as international conferences (C1: Seminar for Teachers: Teaching through design for Sustainability of the Built Environment and Heritage Awareness; E1: HERSUS Intro Presentation; E2: Presentation of the professional profile) and awards (HERSUS International Prize on Modern Built Heritage). At the event participated MORE THAN 1.250 PEOPLE, including students, parents and teachers from secondary schools and first and second-level university cycles.

On 11 May 2023, in the framework of the USE HERSUS Event series, the USE OPEN HOUSE activity of the international HERSUS project took place. The Open House was organized in a form of exhibition which consists of three parts: (1) RESULTS OF THE HERSUS STUDENT WORKSHOPS (The brief preview of the Syllabuses and Student Results – research and designs), (2) AWARDED PROPOSALS OF THE HERSUS PRIZE ON MODERN HERITAGE (The awarded, finalist and shortlisted proposals for each of 4 categories – Edu- cation Students, Education Instructors, Practice, and Research), and (3) PRESENTATION OF HERSUS INTELLECTUAL OUTPUTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES (Timeline of the HERSUS Intellectual outputs followed by presenta- tion of organized events and main achievements including HERSUS in numbers presentation) The exhibition was held at the LOBBY OF THE USE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE ETSAS with participation and interest of local students, academics, and representatives from practice. Moreover, USE Team organized School tour for all HERSUS Partners and exhibition visitors in order to introduce the school profile and student life.

In the context of intercultural and cross-border cooperation, this study presents the implementation of the project of redesigning the Square of Orthodoxy (Trg Pravoslavlja) in Derventa, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methodologically speaking, this study is divided into two parts: the first refers to the strategy of the design approach in view of actualizing the unity of differences through public urban space, and the second part that refers to the specific limitations of designers working in another country. The reflections and arguments in this study are based on dialectics and are epistemologically informed by the intersections of architecture, theology, art, and politics. The study examines the understanding of the past and the present in order to answer the question What could this be? The study examines the limitations and opportunities in the process of realization of this project with the main emphasis on the following: first, the relationship between different stakeholders (local municipality, local church, local engineers and the design team from Belgrade, Serbia); second, understanding and interpretation of the local urban culture, ethnic and religious interactions in post-war Bosnia between Serbs, Bosnians and Croats, and third, understanding religious and local customs and traditions. Consequently, the basic idea in planning the Square of Orthodoxy in Derventa is guided by the collective memory of the place in terms of reminiscences of the past, when it was a place of encounters and community, as well as by the appreciation of the place, the need for religious service of Serbian Orthodox Church, and the acceptance and implementation of contemporary design practices in the regulation of public spaces.

This research focuses on improving the well-being and health of citizens in terms of the design and development of living spaces in harmony with nature. In the contemporary moment, most cities suffer from health and environmental problems. Also, the growing awareness of climate change issues makes it even more apparent and essential to bring nature into our living spaces. Scientific studies have pointed out on a multiplicity of benefits of nature for people, especially for children and older populations. Bringing nature indoor causes increased participation in physical activities, improved mental health and cognitive function and an increase in social interaction between people. Nature and its elements have great power on the human body. The concept of biophilia advocates that there is an innate connection between humans and nature and that people tend to show a positive response when they experience a connection with nature. Accordingly, biophilic design is the design of spaces that promotes and encourages the interaction of humans with nature and natural systems. This paper researches different design methodologies, strategies, principles, scales, and concepts according to patterns of biophilic design and with a focus on their influence on the health and well-being of users. The research also opens further discussions about the potentials of sensitive and responsive biophilic design to improve the health and environmental problems of contemporary urban areas.

The period between 1966 and 1995 is characterized by a constant need for the modernization of society and cities. Department store, introduced as a Western economic model of consumer culture, was established in Yugoslavia after the 1960’s economic reform. This typology had great influence on the market and consumer society in Yugoslavia but had also changed the image and the way central areas in the former Yugoslavia functioned. This paper has two goals. On one hand, it should examine the influence of consumerism in the socialist society of Yugoslavia on the positioning, function, design and construction of the “Belgrade” Department Stores buildings. On the other hand, we believe that the politics of consumer society, mass production and consumerism, integrated into the objects of department stores, significantly influenced the planning and design of city development which can be followed through morphogenic approach. Today, “Belgrade” department stores, built in more than 30 cities with 44 buildings in total, cannot satisfy newest demands in shopping and trade, remain as such in central positions, but with marginalized function. They cannot be perceived only as an economic model, as it was done during the 2009 reconstruction, since this approach cannot provide an adequate solution for reuse, nor can their meaning be understood in the history of city development. These buildings have been printed on postcards, and as such presented a symbol of modernization and tradition, as well as a hallmark of a time and ideology that is still insufficiently known. Research on department store’s previous role in modernization and today’s unfortunate contribution to demodernization of city centers can not only help establish a different approach in a contemporary design and reconstruction but can also address the need to bring them back the significance that they had for society and city or give them new one.

Culture and heritage constitute the driven force to sustainability of the built environment, situated at the heart of urban renewal and innovation, becoming a key issue for training future architects. The fact that a substantial part of our built environment is already built, the population exponentially growing, and concentrated in the small areas of the cities, has brought forward the need to work with our preexistences. We cannot freeze the dynamics of human occupation; we can however learn how to assess the values it cherishes, and incorporate them to the design process, not as a limitation but as treasure design material for our proposals.

The contents of the course address the evolution of the concept of heritage throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, incorporating all types of heritage, from monuments to the landscape as a container of heritage. It also reviews the strategies for managing cultural heritage in the 21st century and identifies new models of heritage city management based on urban governance and the heritage-sustainability binomial, as well as the challenges for the 21st century and the 2030 Agenda. The course is structured alternating sessions with a more conceptual and critical vocation with practical sessions where both group work and individual work are developed. In this practical part of the course, the students overturn the contents of the first part of the class. In both cases and on a different scale, students' work deals with a case study - a building with its surroundings, an area of the city or territory- in which they identify heritage values and attributes in order to define strategies and criteria for intervention. Basically, the course aims to introduce the student to methodologies of intervention in heritage, which can be structured in three phases: heritage identification (research and documentation), cultural values and conservation project.

The aim of this report is to reflect on urban policies and how they affect the issue of sustainability in heritage. The decentralized character of Spanish geopolitics and the transference of power to the different autonomous governments both in terms of heritage management but also architectural and urban policies in general, make one autonomous region the proper framework for this study. Therefore, we have structured the document as follows: 1) Andalusia, Spain. National, Regional and municipal policies. 2) Regulatory framework 3) The international context. International reference texts and charters 4) The protection of cultural heritage in Andalusia (Spain). The Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage (IAPH) 5) References

This paper presents the final findings of the project on the post-socialist urban form undertaken over the last two years with the support of ISUF, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Architecture, and Cracow University of Technology. Historical evolution, a general review of the planning contexts, analysis of urban tissues, and field visits to Krakow and Belgrade, conducted in the first year, have shaped the selection of cases and the general study that has been undertaken for five case studies from both cities. The cases vary from peripheral areas to major city streets and modernistic settings specific for both cities. The final phase implied a review of three pairs from both cities, preparation of the GIS database, and comparison on several grounds: land use pattern, year by year establishment of new plots, FAR and BAR. Plot by plot development is mainly observed through the analysis of interdependences between construction year and plot size, number of buildings on the plot, and the increase of urban parameters and built and unbuilt ratio. The project highlights parallels of conditions to which similar urban tissues in different countries have been exposed in the post-socialist period and reveals the variety of problems and challenges of urban regulation, land ownership and housing investments in relation to postsocialist urban form.

Political ideologies of the Soviet Union resulted in deep cultural and economic transformations in post WWII Poland and Serbia (Ex-Yugoslavia) including profound changes to urban space and planning. Time of war destruction, neglect of inherited urban structures and the modernist doctrine of urban development led to functional zoning based on modernist spatial concepts. Accordingly, social systems led to land nationalization, elimination of private property resulting in centralized city planning and especially large urban housing complexes. Political changes at the end of the twentieth century returned to policies based on democratic systems and a decentralized economy with private land ownership. After nearly 30 years (Poland) and 15 years (Serbia), it is possible to see successes and failures in the system and the implementation of spatial changes. Faced with today's challenges to implement sustainable solutions, post-socialist cities must respect the existing urban structure while achieving the best possible use of existing investment. This paper aims to present the first findings of the project on post-socialist urban form currently being undertaken with the support of ISUF, Faculty of Architecture-University of Belgrade and Cracow University of Technology. Through the historical evolution and a general analysis of the planning contexts, a comparative discussion will be focused on understanding the characteristics of the current urban form. Research on particular cases, Krakow and Belgrade, can not only help to reveal varieties of conditions to which similar urban tissues have been exposed but can also open up methodological discussion on tools and technics for reading post-socialist urban form.