Surveying cultural heritage: summer school for conservation activities

Abstract

Since 2011, the 3DSurvey Group of Politecnico di Milano organises an annual summer school programme entitled ‘Laboratory of Places, Ghesc and surroundings, history, survey, evolution’. This activity is patronised by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Italia and developed in collaboration with the Canova Association. This is a non-profit organisation founded in 2001 in the mediaeval village of Canova (Oira di Crevoladossola, Italy) and it is an institutional member of ICOMOS Italy since 2010. Its primary goal is the preservation and enhancement of rural, mediaeval stone architecture. From 2017, the summer school is also sponsored by ISPRS society. The case study of the course is the charming, abandoned mediaeval village of Ghesc, located in the hamlet of Montecrestese, Domodossola (Italy). There, the Laboratory aims to create a workspace where students, freelancers, teachers and members of the association can work to the documentation of the ancient village and actively contribute to its rediscovery and conservation. In particular, the research activity carried out in recent years by 3DSurvey Group and Canova Association deals with all the historical and architectural artefacts in the Ossola territory, even if they do not belong to the category of monumental bounded works. The general rural architecture also includes suburban complexes made up of buildings that do not have unique architectural values by themselves but considered together represent the construction tradition of the Ossola Valley.