WORKSHOP ORGANIZATION

VVITA PROJECT INTRODUCTION

VVITA - Modernizing Learning and Teaching for Architecture through Smart and Longlasting Partnerships Leading to Sustainable and Inclusive Development Strategies to Vitalize Heritage Villages through Innovative Technologies is an Erasmus+ project in the field of Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education, developing innovation through cooperation and exchange of good practices.

The project is coordinated by Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM), Bucharest, which is also the PROJECT COORDINATOR, in Romania, under the National Agency for Community Program in the Field of Education and Professional Formation (ANPCDEFP) umbrella.

The project is a transnational cooperation that raises the question of European higher education and underlines thematic approaches of complexity on rural heritage conditions emergencies, chances and challenges where traditional division of disciplines are outdated. It is related to the EU document regarding architecture and urbanism education supporting innovation and creativity, through partnership and interdisciplinary approach and the results are able to contribute with intellectual outputs and knowledge about adequate methods and educational tool. It involves professors and students of Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism of Bucharest – UAUIM (leader), University of Catania - UNICT and Norwegian University of Science and Technology – NTNU (partners). The key persons involved in this projects have expertise in a wide series of valuable domains for a better reading and finding solutions for the rural areas development and sustainability.

On long term, the program targets also specialists that are studying the development of local history and tradition, as well as sociology, ethnography, art or any other field of multicultural diversity, and also other stakeholders (Regional Authorities and Local Communities) that can measure the results of the project. Thus, the partnership involves also associated partners from each country which contribute to the implementation of specific project tasks/ activities or support the dissemination and sustainability of the project. In this respect, the project will be available for the unique knowledge transfer between European countries to develop curricula that combine academic content with civic engagement. Associated partners provide expertise and feedback in the proposed Erasmus+ educational program and also advocate for implementation/ advocating learning- educational intellectual results.

The project has a social inclusion approach in the selected local rural settlements with social, civic, inter-ethnic, inter-cultural di-

mension, disadvantaged and remote architectural heritages through the activity of the Intensive programmes hosted by each partner institutions.

Furthermore, the project will build a cluster and an European network with further partners possible joining later that gives a unique possibility for countries facing similar challenges to cooperate to enhance the quality and relevance of the students’ knowledge and skills.

Next to the main priorities of the project, the intellectual outputs and architecture curricula adaptation to contemporary and emerging labor market, the choice of the three “teaching laboratories” (Learning/ Teaching/Training activities) is related also to the priorities, all the geographical areas underline a sensitive subject related to the heritage villages: to improve its quality and find solution for some of their daily problems.

The third and the last teaching laboratory is a didactic module consisting of C6: SP-IP -HE- Intensive programmes for teaching staff and C7: SP-HE -IPL- Intensive programmes higher education learners and is coordinated by UAUIM with a case study on Sfiștofca and Letea villages, Danube Delta, Romania.

FUNDING

VVITA is an Erasmus+ project in the field of Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education, developing innovation through cooperation and exchange of good practices. Project information:

Start: 01-11-2017 - End: 31-10-2019

Project Reference:

2017-1-RO01-KA203-037314

EC Grant: 224419 EUR

DIDACTIC MODULE OBJECTIVES

The development of Danube Delta poses a double challenge: one refers to the preservation of its natural and man-made heritage on the one hand and the improvement of the quality of life for its inhabitants on the other. The area is characterized by pronounced isolation and rough life, mainly under substandard conditions. Water transport is often the only option to travel to and from destinations in the heart of the Danube Delta. Compared to other villages in the Delta, this analyzed area has lower access to basic services.

Sfistofca village, as proposed case studies, located at about 100 km from Tulcea, belongs to C.A. Rosetti commune, with other 4 villages: C.A. Rosetti (at 4km), Letea (at 5km), Cardon (at 7km), Periprava (at 12km). All these villages are with varying degrees of degradation and developmental nuances. For this reason, the study is focused on Sfistofca village, but also proposes a comparative analysis with the village of Letea, the two having common characteristics and in the same time specific elements. The groups of students will analyze some sites where small architectural interventions will be proposed and at the end they will build a small architectural object

from local materials for the purpose of the proposed revitalization process.

The didactic module proposes to identify the potential and vulnerabilities in this area, focusing on measures to increase the community’s living standards and on sustainable development of the area.

Among the potential features of the area there are the Liptov churches, the wells, the forest and the hedgehogs of the Letea horses, the sand dunes, the great sails, the Magearu Canal, the Buna Vestire monastery, the Nebunu Lake, the Communist camp of Periprava, the Sarat Lake.

In the same time the didactic module objectives are overlapping the project goals to enhance the quality and the relevance of higher education in architecture on current approaches of revitalization of rural build heritage environment, rural landscape and traditional construction systems by improving and diversifying the curricula of the universities partners in the VVITA project and not only. To build environmental awareness of our living space requires the architect/urban planner/landscape architect to think about the relationship between building/place ecological and climatologically system that building/ place works, but also to the other universities/ faculties connected to the subject.

ACADEMIC ACCREDITATION

Students attending the learning workshop laboratory and delivering the report will receive a number of ECTS credits compatible with their university program and curriculum. If the students participated also in the previous VVITA learning activities, each university will do the academic accreditation according to their curricula and regulations. To get the credits students will need to attend the workshop and deliver the project final report within three weeks of the workshop completion.

DIDACTIC MODULE DIRECTORS

The key persons involved are members of UAUIM Faculties of Architecture and Faculty of Urban Planning and have expertise in disciplines correlated with sustainable and inclusive development strategies to vitalize heritage through Innovative Technologies. They have experience and expertise in teaching methods of architectural design and urbanism/ landscape studios and theoretical courses.

• Prof.arch. Marian Moiceanu, PhD (legal representative)

• Assoc.prof.arch. Marius Voica, PhD (project leader)

• Lect.arch. Mihaela Hărmănescu, PhD

• Asist.arch. Elena Cristina Mândrescu, PhD

• Assoc.prof.arch Andra Panait, PhD

• Lect.arch. Marina Mihaila, PhD

• Lect. Arch. Adrian Moleavin, PhD