A web map for Italian earthen architecture

ACHENZA, MARIA MADDALENA;COCCO, CHIARA

2015-01-01

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Abstract

Italian National Association of Earth Built Towns, an association counting 38 municipalities of 4 regions, has been founded in 2001 and since then has encouraged, promoted, sustained a huge variety of actions in favor of the diffusion of the knowledge about earthen architecture in Italy. These actions include publications, seminars, conferences, national and international networking, restoration and conservation projects in cooperation with Universities and enterprises. An important investment of energies that helped earthen architecture gain a dignity and an appreciation that was not known just fifteen years ago. The need to make these information available has become a priority in the very last years, encouraging the Association, in cooperation with the University of Cagliari - Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, to reverse into a web site a mapping of all activities related to Earthen architecture in the Country. This includes a list of academies and institutions that are working on the topic, producers and enterprises, professionals and owners. The mapping of Italy is being coordinated together with German (Weimar University) and French (CRATerre) partners in order to start an European data collection on earthen architecture. By now only the German site is fully available, being the Italian and the French almost ready to be put online, as well. This initiative is going to be an important contribution to the dissemination of correct information on the subject and finally giving the real dimension of the significant amount of people and work involved. © 2015 Taylor & Francis Group.