The course on technological innovation in restoration of heritage buildings took place September 20th-24th 2021 at Palermo University. The course is part of the Erasmus + Smart Rehabilitation 3.0 project, led by RehabiMed. More than 30 Italian, Spanish, Lithuanian and Cypriot experts and professionals participated, representing the different partners of the Project.
From a theoretical and practical aspect, during the course participants experienced and visited various interventions in monumental buildings now intended for university use, such as the Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri, the former convent of Sant’Antonino (later mill flour of the army), or the former Benedictine convent complex rehabilitated into a student residence. Also, public interventions at the Palazzo Bonet and at the convent of Sant’Anna della Misericordia, currently the Gallery of Modern Art, were discussed. Finally, other private restorations such as Palazzo Butera, now a museum and a private residence; The former Savings bank, today the Grand Luxury Hotel Piazza Borsa; The Palazzo Forcella De Seta, currently being rehabilitated for several high-end apartments; The Palazzo Constantino and Palazzo Di Napoli, which are consolidating structurally, pending their future use or the Trigona Sant Elia Palace, today a space for temporary exhibitions.
The course allowed an intense exchange of knowledge and experiences between the participants, to enrich the contents, methodologies and the pedagogical tools of the training program of future Rehabilitation Experts that is being developed by Erasmus + Smart Rehabilitation 3.0 project in Europe. The course closed with an interesting debate to draw the main conclusions of the knowledge and skills that a Building Rehabilitation Expert should have.
