1. The value of comprehensive protection of historical buildings and ensembles for the promotion and utilisation of our Cultural-Architectural heritage.
2. Basic concepts (monument - properties, restoration, reconstruction, rehabilitation, protection - conservation, sanitisation, revival).
3. International organisations and international treaties (Venice Charter, etc.). General principles and rationale of protection and restoration.
4. The interdisciplinary nature of the field of restoration and protection of historical buildings.
5. The importance of proper documentation in data evaluation and management.
6. The evaluation of historical buildings. Investigation and evaluation of historical phases. Selection of preserved and non-preserved historical phases.
7. The factors contributing to the deterioration of monuments: poor repairs and incorrect restorations, natural wear, wear caused by humans, internal and external causes of destruction, natural and accidental causes.
8. The techniques of maintenance and restoration. The methods of rescue interventions and the parameters that determine the final choice of method.
9. The methods of static analysis of buildings using traditional structural approaches.
10. The special case of the restoration of ancient monuments.

Learning Outcomes

With the successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Capture, record, and document, using all relevant modern means and technologies, the current condition of a historical structure, specifically the geometry, the structural system, the load-bearing organism, the distinctive construction characteristics, as well as the damages and alterations of the above.
• Identify the causes of the problems, damages, and alterations found during the analytical documentation of a historical structure.
• Assess, using all relevant modern means and technologies, the remaining load-bearing capacity of a historical structure and generally evaluates the conservation status of its individual components.
• Decide on the necessary immediate protective measures and emergency remedial-stabilization interventions in case they are needed before the preparation of the final restoration study of a historical structure.
• Utilise the full spectrum of traditional, historical, and contemporary materials, methods, and technologies that can be applied to various categories of restoration and protection projects for historical structures.
• Devise, combine, and compose the appropriate interventions for the repair, stabilisation, reinforcement, or restoration of historical structures, contributing decisively to their comprehensive protection.
• Select the appropriate new use, contributing decisively to the comprehensive protection of historical buildings.
• Address the needs of the interdisciplinary and multiparametric field of historic building restoration with efficiency and collaborative ability.
• Present comprehensive synthetic and technical restoration proposals using appropriate terminology and leveraging all available modern representation techniques.