Light and Colour Technologies for the Valorisation of Cultural Heritage: the Forte Marghera Case Stu

5ƜZEKNES AUGSTSKOLA IZGLƮ7ƮBAS UN DIZAINA FAKULTƖTE PERSONƮBAS UN SOCIALIZƖCIJAS PƜ7ƮJUMU INSTITNjTS SADARBƮ%Ɩ AR UDINES UNIVERSITƖTI, ITƖLIJA REZEKNE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND DESIGN PERSONALITY SOCIALIZATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN COLLABORATION WITH UNIVERSITY OF UDINE, ITALY

ISSN 1691-5887

SABIEDRƮBA, INTEGRƖCIJA, IZGLƮ7ƮBA Utopie e distopie nel mosaico paesistico-culturale.

Visioni Valori Vulnerabilità Atti della Conferenza Scientifica Internazionale

27-28 Giugno 2013 Volume III

SOCIETY, INTEGRATION, EDUCATION Utopias and dystopias in landscape and cultural mosaic.

Visions Values Vulnerability Proceedings of the International Scientifical Conference June 27th - 28th , 2013 Volume III

Udine (Italy) 2013

Konferenci atbalsta The conference is supported

Project LLIV-223 „Designing a Model Geared towards Participation of People at Social Risk Groups in the Labour Market” (MODPART)

Project „Evaluation toolkit on seniors education to improve their quality of life ” No 518227-LLP-1-2011-1-ES-GRUNDTVIG-GMP

Chairperson of the Program Dr.. prof. Ting Fa Margherita Chang Chairperson of the organizing committee Dr., prof. Aggr. Mario Taverna Technical Operator of the organizing committee Dr. Sandro Clocchiatti Organizing committee: PhD, prof. Aggr. Luca Iseppi Arch., prof. Giovanni Tubaro Chairperson of the scientific committee: PhD, prof., Livio Clemente Piccinini Decane of the University of Udine and IPSAPA National President PhD, prof., director of PSRI Velta ƹubkina (Rezekne Higher Education Institution, Latvia) Dr., prof. Gilberto Marzano (Ecoinstitute Friuli Venezia Giulia and University of Udine, Italy).

Scientific committee: Dr., prof. Margherita Chang Ting Fa Coordinator of PhD Program in Economics, Ecology, Lanscape and Territory (University of Udine, Italy) Dr., prof. Francesco Braga Board of Directors of IAMA (Guelph –Canada) Dr., prof. Paul Davies Past Board of Directors of IAMA Royal Agricultural College, UK Dr., prof. Almo Farina Past Pres. International Association of Landscape Ecology Dr., prof. Melanie Fritz FoodNetCenter Università di Bonn Dr., prof. José M. Gil Dir. Centre de recerca en economia i desenvolupament agroalimentari – Barcellona Dr., prof. Augusto Marinelli Past. Pres. Ce.S.E.T., Past Pres. SIDEA Dr., prof. Alfredo Massart Past Pres. Associazione Italiana Cultori di Diritto Agrario Dr., prof. Roberto Pinton Pres. Centro Ricerca e Innovazione Tecnologica in Agricoltura (CRITA) Dr., prof. Placido Rapisarda Pres. Consorzio Regionale per la Ricerca Applicata e la Sperimentazione (CORERAS) Dr., prof. Zeno Varanini Pres. Associazione Italiana Società Scientifiche Agrarie Dr., prof. Decio Zylbersztajn Head of the Center of Studies of Law, Economics and Organization (University of São Paulo – Brazil) Dr., prof. Marina Schenkel (University of Udine, Italy) Dr., prof. Eugenia Aloj, (University of Sannio, Italy) Dr.. prof. Patrizia Tassinari (University of Bologna, Italy) Dr.. prof. Roberto Busi (University of Brescia, Italy)

ISSN 1691-5887

© University of Udine in cooperation with RƝzeknes Augstskola, 2013

INDICE CONTENT

Preface Livio C. Piccinini Utopias and Dystopias in Landscape and Cultural Mosaic. Visions, Values, Vulnerability: an Introduction .......................................................

9

Revisiting or re-living the landscape-cultural mosaic?

Maria Isabella Amirante, Rossella Franchino, Caterina Frettoloso From the Industrial Building to the Lab – Museum: Fruition and Environmental – Energetic Issues................................................................

17

Vincenzo Bagnolo Il forte di Sant’Ignazio a Cagliari: un progetto di Girolamo Massei?

St. Ignatius’ Fort in Cagliari: a Project by Girolamo Massei?..................

29

Daniele Campolo The Cultural Landscape of Linguistic Minorities in the Calabrian Region: Cultural Premises for Intervention and a Study Case in the Grecanic Area……………………………………………………………..

39

Mariangela Musolino, Domenico Enrico Massimo Mediterranean Urban Landscape. Integrated Strategies for Sustainable Retrofitting of Consolidated City…………………………………………

49

Livio C. Piccinini, Ting Fa Margherita Chang, Marina Schenkel Space and Time Boundaries in Utopia……………………………………

61

Angioletta Voghera Landscape Policies and Practices in Europe. Approaches, Methods, Tools……………………………………………………………

73

Changes of scale between project and perception Serena Abello, Chiara Cannavicci Transitions of Cultural Landscapes, Relationship between Drawing, Shape and Context………………………………………………………...

89

Donato Di Ludovico Nuovi paesaggi e progetto urbanistico nei processi di ricostruzione.

Il caso della città dell’Aquila New Landscape and Comprehensive Urban Project in the Reconstruction Process. The Case of L’Aquila (Italy) ……………………………………

99

Katia Gasparini, Veronica Brustolon Light and Colour Technologies for the Valorisation of Cultural Heritage: the Forte Marghera Case Study…………………………………………...

109

Giulio Lazzerini, Concetta Vazzana The Ecological Infrastructure of the Agro-ecosystem as Element of Biodiversity of the Rural Landscape……………………………………...

121

Alessandro Premier Dynamic and Adaptive Surfaces on Tall Buildings………………………. 133 Alessandra Scalas, Ginevra Balletto, Carla Furcas Overcoming the Anachronistic Utopia in Ancient Quarries: the Restoration Project of an Abandoned Quarry Site in the Monumental Cemetery of Bonaria in Cagliari, Italy……………………………………. 143 Contingent changes and secular changes of value Fabiana Forte New Needs vs “Desired” Values into Personalization of (Social) Housing…………………………………………………………………… 157 Hans Grassmann, Ting Fa Margherita Chang, Mario Taverna, Luca Iseppi The Solar Age: Utopia and Dystopia. How to Transform Green Waste Externalities in Energy and Biochar………………………………. 165 Piero Pedrocco Principi di realtà e fantasia nell'urbanistica contemporanea Principles of Reality and Fantasy in Contemporary Urban Planning …... 177 Livio C. Piccinini, Maria Antonietta Lepellere, Ting Fa Margherita Chang Utopias of Perfection and their Dystopias………………………………... 189

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LIGHT AND COLOUR TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE VALORISATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE: THE FORTE MARGHERA CASE STUDY Katia Gasparini (*) Veronica Brustolon (**) Università Iuav di Venezia, Italy Abstract. The need for the redevelopment of urban and peripheral degraded areas is increasingly felt as crucial. This issue mainly concerns highly valued landscapes with dismissed buildings, no longer used for their original purpose. These include the dismissed military heritage, which has a high importance from an historical, environmental and cultural point of view and thus requires a specific approach as far as its redevelopment, valorisation and management are concerned. The lack of public or private initiatives and, above all, the lack of funds represent an obstacle that needs to be overcome. This paper describes the results of a research project, funded and carried out within the scope of the “Colour&Light in Architecture” Research Unit of Università Iuav di Venezia, with two main aims: the drawing up of a technical-scientific survey about the role of the new colour and light technologies applied to the valorisation of cultural heritage and, subsequently, the drawing up of the guidelines to be applied to the Forte Marghera case study.

Keywords: colour design, light design, smart technology, cultural heritage, media environment, fortified heritage.

Introduction (**) The strategic role played by Forte Marghera within the Venice area requires paying special attention to the methods implemented for the valorisation of this site, rich in history and potential for the future of the city. Said methods should be based on the social, cultural and economic relations characterising the area, as well as on the considerations on the evolution of the contemporary landscape and on how it is perceived.

In order to correctly approach the research theme and analyse the possible applications and fallouts on the site, it seems interesting to study the distinguishing aspects of contemporary landscapes, also at international level, which have drastically changed in the last decades.

The aim is to investigate the new frontiers of the valorisation project, in line with contemporary cultural scenarios and with the complex local and social context in which we operate. The research was carried out through specific phases including: the study of the site, the analysis of the state of the art, the research and application of new technologies, the study of the fallouts on the area and the drawing up of guidelines. Through the study and analysis of a significant sample of case studies, divided by interventions of cultural heritage valorisation, urban design, installations, etc., the research project focussed on the possible contribution of the latest colour and light technologies (innovative and smart) to the valorisation in this specific context. The types, components and materials contributing to the realisation of these interventions were 109

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investigated, setting as cornerstones the pursuit of environmental sustainability, the respect for the area’s identity and, consequently, the non-invasiveness of the interventions with respect to the site specific balances.

Innovating to valorise: the role of the colour and light technologies (*) The history of the building techniques and the obvious evolution, whether aware or not, of the contemporary built environment, occurred in the last decade, have highlighted the increasingly stronger opposition between innovation and tradition. This often led the detractors of innovation to wrongly perceived it as a brutal breech with the lessons of the past. Actually, it is possible to integrate the traditional building concept with an innovative, low invasive and more responsible approach to the built environment through an intelligent and scientific knowledge of the new techniques and technologies. It is exactly the same built environment that too often risks to be infringed by a certain type of restoration works that do not take into account the history of the site and the technology of the original materials. One of the objectives of the investigation, here briefly described, is also to explain the possibility, existing nowadays, to intervene on the historical built environment in a non-invasive way thanks to the use of the latest materials, which can be integrated with the existing historical structure and the tradition, without affecting its identity.

The combination between innovation and tradition - two terms based on the overturn of homogeneity and uniqueness - is necessary to affirm the plural mobility of architectural communication. Lumps and magmas that are not subjugated by a concept or a transcendental philosophy, but live on internal and physical eruptions colliding with the mimetic strategy, with the context, in the sense of the reversal of the unchangeable urban environment.

Innovation is generated by introducing chaos, beyond the secrets of the ordinary, the specific and the coherent [Celant, 2008]. In the built environment, materials and innovative technologies can be introduced within the framework of redevelopment projects whenever the original materials no longer exist or there are certain explicit needs and requirements concerning energy saving, or the artefact historical, cultural and architectural valorisation, to be complied with.

This is the case of Forte Marghera, which, as a consequence of the lack of funds for significant restoration and redevelopment projects, can serve as breeding ground for a new design approach, integrating a minimum project, concerning the conversion of the buildings and the implementation of safety measures, with a new valorisation concept.

Very briefly, this involves the theory of planning a series of temporary events not outside the buildings, but inside the Forte. The interventions can be (by way of example, but not complete) artistic, theatrical, literary, or educational research (workshop), thematic or interactive visits, installations contemporary with the Biennale of Art or Architecture in Venice, training courses of different levels, 110

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exhibits etc.. They can be arranged in cooperation with research institutions or public bodies, or with Associations or Companies, that make available their products or the knowhow. This involves a series of communication activities corresponding to the events that lead to the spread of local or international area, through the most advanced international media. The target is to attract spectators and especially to convey to investors the historical and cultural peculiarities of the area and so encourage them to invest commercially and culturally on the usability of the Forte. It is a territorial marketing operation coordinated to a valorization project of the place.

The project Indeman realized in Germany in the city of Inden, is the simplest example and probably trivial of this operation. On the edge of the city, where an open quarry in an abandoned and almost desert area devoid of any service and infrastructure was opened, the construction of an area on the disused quarry is expected. To make known the place and bring it to attendance it was made a bright media Landmark visible at a great distance. In a few months the place has become a destination for visitors and curious pedestrians. In a short time, it has become a meeting place for parties, installations and events for young people, transformed in a cult place. The next step might allow the integration of the Forte in a media circuit with other similar artifacts diffused in the territory, becoming catalysts of the Venetian landscape. In this way the towers become relays and amplifiers of the city’s moods. The project does not only end in the form’s production (Architecture? Object? Sculpture?) but also and above all in its data transmission through a web site and in its interaction with a questionnaire accessible to different groups of people. Therefore, the idea is to plan a series of operations and actions, not banal but cultural, allowing knowledge and visitation of the Forte Marghera and the possibility to selffinancing its restoration’s operations thanks to the activities’ incomes organized therein.

The intervention, involving the use of colour and light technologies, both highly innovative and traditional, coexists with the simultaneous strategy concerning the enhancement of the site usability, of its management as “dynamic” cultural heritage, of its visibility and of its significant natural surroundings.

The new environmental awareness, which also involves a special attention for energy saving and the ways in which architecture impacts on the existing built environment, leads to the possibility of implementing smart technologies. In turn, the lack of public funds, necessary to realise interventions that achieve an actual redevelopment of the historical site in question, leads to the search for economically sustainable ways to valorise the cultural heritage through the use of tools and building techniques that take into account the limited budget available for the entities in charge of managing said historical site.

Besides all the factors above, there is also the development of the possibilities of use of the Cultural Heritage as generator of a benefit system, accomplished through information and communication technologies. After accurately 111

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analysing the intervention reasons and objectives of the case studies selected and of the state of the art, here briefly described, the research project focussed on the colour and light technologies, currently available on the market, that are potentially capable of meeting the requirements and needs, outlined so far, in the cultural heritage valorisation field.

The use of light to illuminate architectural artefacts, mainly through LED technology or projectors, is an innovative practice, in which lighting experimentation and new light technologies play a key role. Being intangible, the light illuminates the artefact transforming the way it is perceived thanks to its high expressive capacity, without modifying its form and material. The duration of the temporary intervention can be programmed in advance and the valorisation project is realised by playing with reflections, colours and visual suggestions.

The interventions based on light technology potentialities belong to the light design and architectural projection fields. Nowadays, the light design also includes studies on urban lighting, which are particularly important in terms of security and energy saving, and on the spectacular use of light, for example in urban installations, events, performances and shows. Architectural projections, with the support of digital technology, involve projecting images and videos on building façades by means of the projection mapping or video mapping technology. Thanks to the projection dynamism, it is thus possible to recreate more impressive shows than with light design installations. However in this case, the result is achieved in detriment of energy saving. Due to all the reasons above and to the planning complexity of the light sequences, the valorisation is realised through individual events.

The project by Yann Kersalé for the Lyon Opera House, Le Théâtre du Temps, includes an interesting light design intervention, where the light is used to draw the viewer's attention on the theatre cladding, designed by Jean Nouvel. In this way, the light acquires a symbolic significance by highlighting the theatre with respect to the other buildings, converting it into the preferential meeting place and the centre of the city cultural life.

Lighting effects can be also pursued through the use of other smart materials, which do not need energy sources for feeding, but are visible thanks to an automatic power feed back, or for inherent composition of the material. For example it’s possible to use litrosphere paints, iridescent or dichroic coatings to obtain chromatic effects according to the brightness environment. Litrosphere coatings are made of a material that emits light for 12 years, without electricity and without exposure to the sun. These inks can be printed, injected or painted on any surface, acting like an 20 Watt incandescent bulb. As an alternative there are photoluminescent coating to apply on neutral or white background: they are colorless and 95% transparent. On the other hand, colour technologies are used to create coloured surfaces and can be applied to the context to be valorised without being invasive. The use of colour for valorisation purposes is chosen 112

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thanks to its prerogative of being immediately perceived. It is a static element and can therefore be used as marker to identify, for example, a specific building type, a particular area of the city, or the subsequent interventions carried out in an existing context. An example is offered by the projects designed and realised by the Topotek1 firm, which give new life to marginal areas by using coloured paints, turning them into spaces where citizens can identify and express themselves. The synergy between colour and light technologies and the use of other materials allow for the realisation of installations aimed at valorising the environmental context in terms of participation and energetic and economic sustainability. They stand out for their flexibility and complete reversibility, so they do not leave any trace on the area after their removal.

Event, valorisation, technology: towards the hyper-landscape (*) Recalling the concepts before exposed on the passage: "Architecture? Object?

Sculpture? " and the integration of the Forte in a media circuit with other artifacts diffused in the territory: what kind of relationship does among the event, the building and the landscape exist? In the 1980s Virilio [Virilio, 1984] wrote that "the urban architecture must come to terms with the opening of a technological space-time, where information technologies become predominant in the relationship between man and his surroundings". Whereas the representation of the contemporary city is no longer characterized by the ceremonial of the doors’ opening, by the ritual processions, demonstrations and parades on streets and avenues. In fact the digital transmission technologies have already renewed the remote view (tele-vision), the hearing (the radio) and also the touch with the tactile response glove. So in architecture everyone will be able to enter the city from a pc’s screen and no more through the door", the manmachine interface precedes the buildings’ facades and the subdivided lands’ surfaces. Therefore, shapes and functions have changed. Shape doesn't correspond to function, not only in certain contemporary architectures, but also on a larger scale in places that identify and characterize the landscape.

According to Michel Foucault the present age might be considered the spaceage. A space characterized (like time) by the simultaneity and by juxtaposition: this is the age of near and far, of side-by-side and of scattering. "I think we are living in a time in which the world is experienced, rather than as a great course that develops over time, as a mesh that intersects and weaves its skein "[Foucault, 2005]. Whereas in the Middle Ages space expressed hierarchical places (sacred and profane, protected or defenseless, urban and rural, etc.), from Galileo this localization space is opened. Galileo discovered that the space where we live is infinitely open, so he dissolved the Middle Ages’ conception of place. Starting from this moment localization is replaces by extension. At this time extension, which replaces the localization, is replaced by dislocation.

According to Foucault the problem of space and dislocation arises more 113

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specifically for men in demographic terms. Specifically it’s important to understand the relationship among closeness, movement, supply and human elements classification [ibidem]. The space in which we live and in which takes place "the erosion of our life, of our time and of our history "[Foucault, 2005] is a heterogeneous space; we live within relationships that define irreducible and not overlapped positions.

Then as in a hypertext , in hyper-landscape created thanks to the valorization model therein proposed, the spaces seem to have the characteristic to be connected to all other spaces but according to Michel Foucault, in order to suspend, neutralize or reverse the relations they designated, reflected or reproduced. If there are spaces without a real place like utopias, in every culture and civilization may also exist real place representing against-places, a kind of utopias effectively realized, in which the real places are equally represented, contested and subverted: "a kind of places that are outside each place, although they can be completely localized "[Foucault, 2005]. These places can be called heterotopias and are real places, as opposed to utopias, which refers to spaces without actual localization. We can probably consider the new emergent landscapes from the proposed project.

Analysis methodology and intervention lines (**) The analysis of the selected case studies is aimed at highlighting a series of critical considerations on the issue of technological innovation applied to the built environment in relation to the surrounding urban space, with particular attention paid to the use of colour, light and new communication media for cultural heritage valorisation purposes. For obvious space reasons, in this paper the concepts of valorisation (from the Italian regulations) and innovation (inferred through the study of technological publications and regulations concerning the technological sector) are taken for granted.

The analysis of a significant sample of case studies played a crucial role in providing a basic technological and cultural knowledge necessary for conceiving an intervention hypothesis for Forte Marghera. The twenty-five case studies were selected among projects with objectives and characteristics similar to the Forte Marghera intervention, i.e.: pursuit of environmental valorisation, use of media installations, visibility purposes, temporariness and usability, use of colour and light technologies. Priority was given to projects implementing lowenvironmental impact technologies, from both an energetic and visual (light pollution) point of view.

Particular attention was paid to interventions carried out on the existing built environment, since the act of “inserting” in a historical or cultural context provides the key to understand the Forte Marghera’s intervention. It should be specified that the case studies selected don’t reflect the capabilities and the architecture of Forte Marghera, as it is an experimental research which 114

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hypothesis does not find previous realized projects. The case studies were selected taking account on the connection between their purposes and requirements and the objectives of the project research. Interventions which reflect the concept of environmental valorization have temporary characteristics and use as means of expression color and light were selected. Starting from interventions on existing structured contexts or buildings, three different design objectives were identified: redevelopment, reuse and valorisation 1. The analysis process of the different cases selected was focussed on identifying three macroareas concerning the definition of environmental, functional-spatial and technological systems [UNI 7867, UNI 10838]. In simpler words, the environmental system includes all the criteria concerning the relationship between the project, the context and the user, i.e. everything that is located outside the technological installation in question and exchanges information with the supra-system. The functional-spatial system, instead, includes the entries concerning the application of technology to the existing built environment, i.e. the way in which it is functionally inserted in the context and is capable of, more or less, adapting to it. The technological system - third and last - includes all the analysis criteria concerning the installation per se and its technical working. Thanks to the subdivision into three macro-areas, the definition of all the ten analysis criteria allowed for the elaboration of the information necessary for drawing up the design criteria to be applied to the Forte Marghera valorisation project. The ten analysis criteria mentioned above were catalogued and then different types were assigned to each of them. The criteria were classified by: intervention purpose, interaction with the environment, interaction with the user, energy impact, relationship with the existing built environment, project flexibility, intervention type, classification of the media system, identification of stressing agents, dedicated technology classification, cataloguing of materials and components (traditional, innovative and smart).

Results and method validation (*) Graph no. 1 synthetically describes the study applied to Forte Marghera on the basis of the project objectives and the site characteristics. The graph clearly shows that the pursuit of the site valorisation can be achieved through a cultural and tangible combination between the project objectives: usability of the sites, perception and visibility of artefacts (appearance), intervention environmental quality and project management. Technology (T) plays the role of valorisation catalyser, thanks to its capacity of providing a smart and innovative solution to the new design needs. The approaching process between the use of media 1

In this contest, the terms used are based on the definition as per UNI 10914-1:2001 standard.

The term valorisation derives from the updated definition as per Legislative decree no. 62 of 2008.

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technologies applied to the cultural heritage is the result, on the one hand, of the maturity of the possibilities offered by technology and, on the other hand, of the evolution of the traditional concept of cultural heritage. The prerogatives that media technologies should have to be applied to each specific intervention were defined through the analysis of the case studies and the observations concerning the different surveyed interventions compared to the Forte Marghera case. The technologies that will be used must follow the criteria listed below.

Fig. 1. Conceptual graph for the valorisation project of Forte Marghera (I. Ligabue, S. Casarini, 2013)

For example, in the case of a valorisation project with environmental purposes, the attention will be mainly focussed on the relationships with the existing built environment, on the energy impact and on the temporariness of the installation.

A low (or even better equal to zero) energy impact and a technological flexibility intrinsic prerogative were considered as cornerstones. This does not mean that, within the management field which includes the planning of events, the installation energy consumption cannot be moderate, since they are occasional and short events, financed by the their promoters. Another intervention level, that was not included in any valorisation field but links all of them together, concerns “connections”. Forte Marghera already features wellstructured paths and the managing company - Marco Polo System G.E.I.E. – intends to restore more natural paths along the bastions. The hypothesis of intervention on Forte Marghera’s internal flows aims at valorising the naturalistic and historical aspects, with a particular emphasis on the latter. The human activities (both cultural and artistic) taking place inside the Forte are already well connected through adequate paths, yet they suffer from the lack of valorisation and visibility, especially at night. The valorisation project will solve 116

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this critical issue. In the light of pursuing the environmental valorisation, attention will be focussed on the huge natural heritage inside the Forte, trying to emphasize its use, as well as its presence. For example, a few "grass fields", where visitors can take a break and enjoy the natural surroundings, were identified. These areas are often located near stretches of water, making the contact with nature even more striking. The pursuit of valorisation through the site usability allows the attention to be focussed on the users by assigning them an active role. The more interactive installations, involving the users and requiring their active participation to work, will be located in the areas, identified within the site, registering the highest number of visitors. As far as the valorisation referred to the management is concerned, the areas identified are those more suitable for planning cultural and artistic events or events concerning the history of the site. The term management concerns the planning of on-site events and the management of all the Forte historical and informative apparatus.

Artefacts and environmental sights with particular architectural and natural importance are included in the appearance valorisation field. All the suggested installations aim at charming the viewer by creating special suggestions through the use of technology.

The proposals are therefore born out of the intention to identify key-areas of the Forte that, properly connected through the connection network, will be capable of creating an organic system. Through an in-depth study of the installations, it will be possible to identify the valorisation field in which they intervene. For example, as far the concept of usability is concerned, it is possible to conceive a layer where the areas with an installation concerning a particular aspect will be identified with a specific colour. The same solution will be applied to all the identified fields. Then the study, based on functional layers, will be synthesised into a single plan where the key-areas of intervention are clearly identified. The distinction between the different areas was extremely important and served as the starting point for proposing the intervention on the path system that will connect all the areas. The solutions proposed for Forte Marghera are intervention lines ranging from seating to event organisation and the installations are aimed at reflecting on innovative valorisation modes that can be translated through different applications.

Conclusion (**) The research project was focussed on the valorisation of cultural heritage with a different point of view compared to the common reflections on this sector.

Observing the leading dynamics in contemporary cities, the need for a planning and cultural integration between tradition and innovation seems obvious. In particular, it was highlighted how innovative technologies and the new media system can effectively contribute to the valorisation of artefacts with historical importance, while complying with preservation values. The Forte Marghera case 117

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provides food for thought as far as the use of innovation is concerned, being it, at the same time, a site with great historical-architectural importance and a strategic place for the development of Venice mainland, with a management open to experimentation and participation. The use of innovative and experimental technologies allows a few site critical issues to be solved, such as the lack of funds, the compliance with landscape protection regulations and the difficulties concerning the re-integration of the Forte in the urban fabric as a new cultural centre. The interventions originated by the above-mentioned considerations and analyses are aimed at generating further thinking and interest on the use of the latest technologies and smart materials, with a particular attention on how the latter can effectively contribute to the site valorisation with a reduced economic investment and a minimal impact on the artefact and the environment. The intention is to propose a new intervention perspective within the framework of the recovery of the historical heritage at a stage that, as in the case of Forte Marghera, occurs prior to the actual recovery and restoration intervention.

Summary (**) The design hypothesis applied to Forte Marghera was aimed, in particular, at investigating the role of low-environmental impact smart materials and technologies as potential tools for the environmental and functional redevelopment of the dismissed fortified areas of the Veneto region, in light of planning the management and use of the cultural heritage.

The research project also involved the planning of conversion as well as of environmental valorisation interventions. They were developed through new activities aimed at interpreting the landscape and understanding the local cultural heritage (the forts and their surrounding areas) by means of the promotion and the implementation of the accommodation facilities available on site (touristic target).

Said implementation could be developed through the creation of a widespread and wellstructured accommodation network, i.e. organised according to issues dedicated to fortified systems and their surrounding landscape.

Acknowledgement: many thanks for contributing to this research to: Ilaria Ligabue and Serena Casarini (Milan Polytechnic) and Marco Polo System G.E.I.E. (Forte Marghera, Venice).

Bibliography 1. M. Addington, D. Schodek; (2005). Smart Materials and Technologies for the architecture and design professions, Elsevier, Harvard University.

2. L. Arvali; (2002). Quale futuro per il Forte di Marghera a Mestre?, Castellum, Rome.

3. P. Bilancia; (2006). La valorizzazione dei beni culturali. Modelli giuridici di gestione integrata, FrancoAngeli, Milan.

4. P. Bizjak; (2011). Difesa di Venezia, Terra Ferma, Treviso 5. G. Celant; (2008). ARTMIX, Flussi tra arte, architettura, cinema, design, moda, musica e televisione, Feltrinelli, Milan.

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