 | Oltreil900: Oltre il Novecento. Teoria e prassi per il “Restauro del Moderno” Department of Architecture, Santa Teresa Florence, Italy, December 12-13, 2025 |
| Conference website | https://oltreilnovecento.squarespace.com |
| Submission link | https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=oltre900 |
| Abstract registration deadline | May 25, 2025 |
| Submission deadline | September 30, 2025 |
CALL FOR ABSTRACT
“Novecento”, Modern, Contemporary, are terms that often get alternated to define the preservation of Twentieth-Century heritage.
Despite disputes over its periodization, its nature or otherwise of avant-garde, and the artistic and social ideologies characterizing that period, what historiography defines as Modern Movement currently blurs to the point of dissipating the concept of modern architecture into a vaguer contemporary architecture.
Even today we struggle to find a specific space for the “preservation of modern heritage” that seems to challenge the more traditional categories of the discipline, seeking a way for a possible theory to be then transferred to restoration site practice.
The international conference brings together the contributions of the many scholars who intend to present their research and considerations on this topic, from the analysis of the role of different protagonists, to new considerations on critical issues, to the recent challenges for patrimonialisation and the definition of best practices, passing through an examination of the comprehensive case-study in the international scenario.
SESSIONS
I. Protagonists
This session welcomes case studies presenting biographical profiles that have stood out for their practical contributions and theoretical insights. The use of biography as an analytical tool serves the aim of reconstructing cultural and technical profiles, as well as their complex relationships with the contemporary context. Studying these figures can shed light on the connections and factors that shaped cultural orientations and specific practices across different geographies.
II. Histories and theories
This session gathers reflections on the theories and practices of restoring works of the Modern movement – in all its chronological and expressive variations – as well as of the contemporary era, in order to highlight elements of continuity or rupture with respect to established orientations and conceptual frameworks. At the same time, it aims to build a bridge between the development of these reflections within the field of restoration and the evolution of architectural historiography from the post-World War II period to the present. The goal is to identify points of contact or divergence on both critical and operational levels, while also bringing to light the specificities tied to distinct cultural and geographical contexts.
III. Periodization
This session welcomes contributions that compare different interpretations of the chronological boundaries of modernity and contemporaneity. It aims to foster a constructive dialogue on these topics within an open and interdisciplinary framework, encouraging alternative temporal categorizations that reveal a transversal thread – one defined more by the continued use of languages and techniques than by a sequential account of events.
IV. Heritagization
This session provides an opportunity to explore reflections on the theme of heritage and the processes of heritage-making – not only in terms of values and how they change over time, but also with attention to how such recognition is translated into regulatory frameworks and on-site practices and interventions. The theme brings into the discussion a set of issues and challenges that often require tools and approaches that differ significantly from, and are not always complementary to, those traditionally employed in restoration.
V. Case-studies
This session welcomes the in-depth analysis of individual case studies, with a twofold objective: on the one hand, to bring to light interventions that have remained on the margins of scholarly attention; on the other, to offer new readings of well-known restoration projects of Modernist works. Particular focus is placed on how the underlying approaches and practices of these projects can highlight both elements of methodological continuity and aspects of innovation in relation to the tradition of heritage conservation history.
VI. Conservation/restoration site
Architectural historiography has increasingly embraced the study of the building site as a research field that complements other established methodologies and contributes to the philological understanding of the built work. This session welcomes contributions focused on the documentation and critical analysis of lesser-known conservation sites involving works of the Modern movement. The aim is also to highlight whether and how building site practices – regarding processes, techniques, and materials – require tools and actions that differ from those applied to traditional historic architecture. It seeks to identify key execution challenges and open questions emerging from the analysis of practical experiences.
ABSTRACT GUIDELINES
Abstracts must not exceed 2000 characters, including spaces.
Submissions must follow the template available on the following link (www.dida.unifi.it/p998.html) and may be written in either Italian or English. Only one abstract may be submitted per author (or group of authors).
Abstracts must be uploaded to the EasyChair platform at the following address: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=oltre900, by 30 May 2025.
Notification of acceptance will be communicated by 15 June 2025. Submissions will be reviewed by the members of the Scientific Committee.
Authors of selected contributions will be asked to submit the full paper by 15 September 2025. All papers will undergo a double-blind peer review process.
The Organizing Secretariat reserves the right to request revisions or additions based on reviewers’ feedback.
The selected papers from this call for papers will be published in a special issue of the «Restauro Archeologico» journal (Class A), published by Firenze University Press (FUP).
SCIENTIFIC COORDINATION
Susanna Caccia Gherardini | Università degli Studi di Firenze
Sara Di Resta | Università Iuav di Venezia
Emanuela Ferretti | Università degli Studi di Firenze
Maria Cristina Giambruno | Politecnico di Milano
Marco Pretelli | Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Francesca Albani | Politecnico di Milano
Frida Bazzocchi | Università degli Studi di Firenze
Susanna Caccia Gherardini | Università degli Studi di Firenze
Roberta Grignolo | Accademia di architettura - Università della Svizzera italiana
Francesca Castanò | Università degli Studi della Campania - Luigi Vanvitelli
Fabienne Chevallier | Musée d’Orsay
Lorenzo Ciccarelli | Università degli Studi di Firenze
Alessandro De Magistris | Politecnico di Milano
Maurizio De Vita | Università degli Studi di Firenze
Maria Grazia D’Amelio | Università degli Studi di Roma - Tor Vergata
Sara Di Resta | Università Iuav di Venezia
Paolo Faccio | Università Iuav di Venezia
Rita Fabbri | Università degli studi di Ferrara
Emanuela Ferretti | Università degli Studi di Firenze
Maria Cristina Giambruno | Politecnico di Milano
Tullia Iori | Università degli Studi di Roma - Tor Vergata
Giacinta Jean | Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana
Susan Macdonald | Getty Conservation Institute
Marzia Marandola | Università Iuav di Venezia
Monica Naretto | Politecnico di Torino
Federica Ottoni | Università degli studi di Parma
Luis Palmero Iglesias | Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
Renata Picone | Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
Uta Pottgiesser | Delft University of Technology, Chair of Docomomo International
Marco Pretelli | Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
Wido Quist | Delft University of Technology, Secretary General of Docomomo International
Michelangelo Sabatino | Illinois Institute of Technology
Maddalena Scimemi | Università degli Studi Roma Tre
Ana Tostoes | Chair of Docomomo Portugal
Ines Tolic | Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
Ruggero Tropeano | Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES
April 7, 2025 Call Publication
May 25, 2025 Abstract Submission
June 15, 2025 Abstract Acceptance
September 15, 2025 Full Paper Submission
September 30, 2025 Full Paper Acceptance
October 10, 2025 Final Full Paper Submission
December 12/13, 2025 Conference, Santa Teresa – Florence
REGISTRATION
Conference Registration Fee €300
Reduced Fee for SIRA Members €250
Reduced Fee for PhD Candidates/Specialization Students €180
ORGANIZING SECRETERIAT
Università degli Studi di Firenze
Paola Bordoni, Ester Colarossi, Giorgio Ghelfi, Pierpaolo Lagani, Anna Laura Petracci, Francesco Pisani, Alice Rossano, Adele Rossi
The conference is organized by: University of Florence – Department of Architecture
With the support of:
SIRA - Società Italiana per il Restauro dell’Architettura