Heritage

The notion of heritage is considered in its historical and cultural diversity, with references ranging from the Neolithic to contemporary periods, and in geographical contexts both near and far. Heritage is studied in its material (materials, buildings, landscapes) and immaterial (knowledge, know-how, organization-management) facets, in relation to the specific characteristics of their contexts. The aim of our work is to draw lessons from earth-built heritage that can be applied to its conservation and to eco-responsible contemporary architectural production, from a technical, environmental, cultural, social and economic point of view, as well as in terms of the overall governance of a territory.

The Heritage theme hosts three research programs

  • 1

    Heritage conservation

  • 2

    Archaeology and conservation

  • 3

    World Heritage

Methodology

The notion of heritage is taken here in all its historical and cultural diversity, with references ranging from the Neolithic to the most contemporary periods, and in local (or very distant) geographical contexts. Heritage is studied in its material (materials, building(s), landscapes) and immaterial (knowledge, know-how, organization-management) facets, in relation to the specific characteristics of the places in which it was built. The aim is to recognize and understand the architectural qualities and values of a heritage, and then to identify its potential for enhancement, including in the design of any new project.

Inventory, analyze, conserve and enhance the value of ordinary and classified earthen architecture

  • WHEAP program (World Heritage Earthen Architecture program) with the UNESCO World Heritage Center (three sub-components: heritage in conflict zones, urban heritage, heritage and development);
  • Conservation and enhancement of the adobe architectural heritage of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region (Inventory, conservation, enhancement).
  • Conservation and enhancement of archaeological earthen architecture in France and on the World Heritage List.

Valuing heritage as a source of knowledge for architectural/urban planning/landscaping projects

  • "learning from vernacular" as a follow-up to the European VERSUS project: testing and fine-tuning the proposed methods
  • Analysis of building degradation in post-disaster situations with a view to retroengineering and reverse engineering
  • World heritage, an effective tool for promotion (in conjunction with UNESCO, ICOMOS France, ICOMOS Int. and MCC°)