Heritage

larcb1001  2025-2026  Bruxelles Saint-Gilles

Heritage
The version you’re consulting is not final. This course description may change. The final version will be published on 1st June.
3.00 credits
30.0 h
Q1

  This biannual learning unit is not being organized in 2025-2026 !

Language
French
Main themes
The aim of this course is to provide an in-depth exploration of restoration theories and their practical applications. It is designed for students seeking to deepen their understanding of this discipline and develop a strong ethical foundation for engaging with projects in the built environment.
Course Topics:
  • Heritage Philosophy
Definitions, concepts, and key issues,
The emergence and evolution of the notion of heritage (and heritages), conservation, restoration, and reallocation,
From principles to normative frameworks: critical analysis of charters and other reference documents,
Critical examination of concepts such as authenticity, reversibility, and integrated conservation,
Overview of institutions responsible for heritage protection and enhancement.
  • Methodology of Preliminary Analyses; focus on building archaeology as a multidisciplinary approach that synthesizes insights essential for developing meaningful projects,
  • Heritage and Architectural Creation; application of contemporary ethical frameworks and analysis of evolving practices in heritage and architectural design.
Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

  • Understand and critically assess the foundational references and principles of heritage philosophy,
  • Recognize and analyze architectural heritage in its full complexity and potential,
  • Contextualize contemporary ethical frameworks by examining the historical processes that shaped them,
  • Evaluate and identify appropriate restoration options, linking these choices to the intervention philosophy and articulating a well-founded argument for the proposed approach,
  • Familiarize with key methods for investigating built heritage and appreciate the necessity of specific preliminary analyses,
  • Understand the vital role of interdisciplinarity in the analysis, design, and execution of intervention proposals,
  • Research, analyze, and critically interpret references for architectural integration in existing environments, and develop a defensible position based on this analysis,
  • Generate ideas and proposals for the preservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings.

General Learning Outcomes

In line with the program’s learning outcomes (LOs), this course contributes to the development and acquisition of the following LOs:
  • LO4.1 Learn and explain the concepts and methods of scientific disciplines.
  • LO4.4 Learn and explain the environmental, social, and economic consequences of architectural choices.
  • LO6.1 Acquire knowledge of disciplinary methods in scientific research.
  • LO6.2 Adopt a critical attitude free from any preconceptions.
 
Faculty or entity
> LOCI


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
Bachelor in Architecture (Bruxelles)
ARCB1BA
3
Bachelor in Architecture (Tournai)
ARCT1BA
3