Previous calls
Issue 28 "New Graphic Tools. New Readings of Heritage"
Deadline for submission of articles: 30 July 2026
Expected publication date: June 2027
Call Text:
The concept of cultural heritage is not static, but rather a dynamic construct that evolves alongside the social and historical context in which it is analysed. There is currently growing concern and awareness of its value, which justifies the need to preserve and pass it on to future generations. However, it should also be understood as an important resource for economic growth, employment and social cohesion, helping to revitalise urban and rural areas and promote sustainable tourism.
Among the various theories, ranging from the most interventionist to the most strict conservationist positions, one irrefutable approach emerges: the need for a deep understanding of the patrimonial asset, since without a diagnosis of the values to be preserved, it is impossible to protect it properly. Even in the origins of theoretical formulations, the antagonistic ideas of Viollet-le-Duc, with his concern for stylistic and typological value, and those of Ruskin, who considered historical and authenticity value to be fundamental, agree on the need to understand the monument. This concern is reflected in the extensive and important bibliography written by both figures, but even more significantly in the need to draw architecture, not only as a process of representation, but also of exploration, analysis and understanding. Today, their graphic works have become an excellent source for understanding the state of heritage at that time.
In line with the views expressed by various specialists such as Antonio Almagro, architectural surveying is fundamentally a method of analysis and its ultimate goal is essentially to gain a comprehensive understanding of the building and its relationship with the urban context. That is why drawing what already exists becomes an essential step in correctly establishing the various actions for safeguarding architectural heritage, such as protection, enhancement through research, intervention and dissemination, and preventive conservation, providing the necessary support for the management of cultural assets.
Currently, new technologies derived from the digital revolution and artificial intelligence have multiplied the graphic possibilities for analysing and representing architectural, urban and landscape heritage. This constant innovation requires an effort to understand the capabilities and limitations of each methodology, as well as to establish principles, quality parameters or standards, a path already begun by multiple national and international organisations such as the European Commission, ICOMOS, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and BuildingSMART, among many others.
Zarch journal, as a forum for debate and research in the field of architecture, urban planning and landscape design, has published numerous articles on heritage and has devoted several special issues to the subject, such as #6-Unbuilt Ideas, #16-Rethinking Controversial Architectural Heritage, Rethinking Public Space, and #26-Memory, Design and Construction of the Landscape.
With the aim of continuing to explore different perspectives, this issue proposes to examine the new avenues opened up by new technologies in the analysis, management and representation of architectural, urban and landscape heritage, without losing sight of its forward-looking purpose: to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of its values and to develop appropriate preservation and intervention policies and practices.
In recent decades, architectural surveying has undergone constant evolution. Photogrammetry and laser scanning—often used in tandem—allow for a study of geometry and surfaces that was previously unimaginable. The capabilities of digital modelling and HBIM (Heritage BIM) methodology in data management and extraction have multiplied the possibilities for analysis, giving rise to new interpretations of heritage. However, these innovations coexist with the continued use of planimetric representation, whose abstraction is much more efficient in spatial interpretation and is the only way to study the traces, original design of buildings and urban planning.
This issue also addresses less visible heritage, buildings and urban spaces that have been transformed or disappeared, whose investigation, through surveying where possible and subsequent planimetric restoration or virtual recreation, is the only way to return them to the collective memory. These processes must be treated with due rigour, with special care taken in the recording and presentation of the various sources used, allowing for a scientific as well as informative reading, as established by the various International Directives and Charters.
At the urban and territorial scale, cartography is particularly important as a technique capable of codifying and representing the reality of a geographical space, from physical characteristics to phenomena of various kinds. In this field, Geographic Information Systems have helped not only to represent but also to better manage heritage, as well as to understand patterns and make decisions. More specifically, historiographic cartography or HGIS (Heritage GIS) allows for the study, interpretation and management of the historical image of the city or the historical urban landscape.
Finally, artificial intelligence, in its role as a cross-cutting technology, has profoundly transformed the techniques used to analyse and represent heritage. The remarkable advances it generates must be explored through the prism of logical and critical reasoning, ensuring that automation does not replace, but rather enhances, expert judgement in historical interpretation.
In this issue, we are interested in research that uses new technologies applied to architectural, urban and landscape heritage, understood as graphic tools that allow for new interpretations, capable of broadening horizons, used with a critical spirit and without abandoning the necessary humanistic perspective that allows for a comprehensive understanding and protection of their values.
Miguel Sancho Mir, Marta Quintilla Castán and Roberta Spallone
Numero 28: "Nuovi strumenti grafici. Nuove letture del patrimonio"
Data limite per la ricezione degli articoli: 30 luglio 2026
Pubblicazione del numero: giugno 2027
Testo della call:
Il concetto di patrimonio culturale non è statico, ma definisce una costruzione dinamica che evolve insieme al contesto sociale e storico in cui viene analizzato. Attualmente, un crescente interesse e sensibilità per i valori del patrimonio giustificano la necessità di conservarli e trasmetterli alle generazioni future. Inoltre, il patrimonio deve essere inteso anche come una risorsa importante per la crescita economica, l'occupazione e la coesione sociale, che contribuisce a rendere dinamiche le aree urbane e rurali e a promuovere il turismo sostenibile.
Tra le diverse teorie, che oscillano dalle posizioni più propense all'intervento a quelle più attente alla conservazione, emerge chiaramente la necessità di una profonda conoscenza del bene, poiché senza un'indagine sugli assetti da preservare è impossibile garantirne la corretta tutela. Anche alle origini delle formulazioni teoriche, le idee antagoniste di Viollet, con la sua preoccupazione per il valore stilistico e tipologico, e quelle di Ruskin, che apprezzava come fondamentale il valore storico e di autenticità, si incontrano nella necessità di conoscere il manufatto. Questa attenzione si concretizza nella vasta e importante bibliografia scritta da entrambi i teorici, ma, in modo ancora più significativo, se possibile, nella necessità di disegnare l'architettura come processo non solo di rappresentazione, ma anche di ricerca, analisi e comprensione. Attualmente, le opere grafiche dei due studiosi sono diventate una fonte preziosa per conoscere lo stato del patrimonio dell'epoca.
In linea con quanto affermato da diversi specialisti, tra cui Antonio Almagro, il rilievo architettonico è fondamentalmente un metodo di analisi e mira a fornire una conoscenza completa dell'edificio e delle sue relazioni con il contesto urbano. Ecco perché il disegno di ciò che esiste costituisce una fase indispensabile per definire correttamente le diverse azioni di tutela del patrimonio architettonico, quali la protezione, la valorizzazione attraverso la ricerca, l'intervento e la divulgazione, nonché la conservazione preventiva, fornendo il supporto necessario alla gestione dei beni culturali.
Attualmente, le nuove tecnologie derivanti dalla rivoluzione digitale e dall'intelligenza artificiale hanno moltiplicato le possibilità grafiche per analizzare e rappresentare il patrimonio architettonico, urbano e paesaggistico. Questa costante innovazione richiede uno sforzo per comprendere le capacità e i limiti di ciascuna metodologia, nonché per stabilire principi, parametri di qualità o standard, un percorso già intrapreso da numerosi organismi nazionali e internazionali, tra cui la Commissione Europea, l'ICOMOS, l'Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) e il BuildingSMART.
La rivista Zarch, spazio di dibattito e di ricerca nel campo dell'architettura, dell'urbanistica e del paesaggio, ha pubblicato numerosi lavori sul patrimonio e ha dedicato diversi numeri monografici, come il n. 6 - Idee non realizzate, il n. 16 - Riqualificare il patrimonio architettonico controverso, ripensare lo spazio pubblico, e il n. 26 - Memoria, progetto e costruzione del paesaggio.
Con l'intento di continuare ad approfondire la questione da diverse prospettive, questo numero propone di esplorare le nuove strade aperte dalle tecnologie nell'analisi, nella gestione e nella rappresentazione del patrimonio architettonico, urbano e paesaggistico, senza perdere di vista il suo scopo finale: facilitare una conoscenza completa che consenta di comprenderne i valori e di sviluppare politiche e pratiche adeguate di conservazione e di intervento.
Negli ultimi decenni, il rilevamento architettonico ha conosciuto una costante evoluzione. La fotogrammetria e la scansione laser - spesso complementari - consentono uno studio della geometria e dei paramenti murari prima inimmaginabile. Le potenzialità del modello digitale e del processo HBIM (Heritage BIM) nella gestione e nell'estrazione dei dati hanno moltiplicato le possibilità analitiche, dando luogo a nuove letture del patrimonio.
Tuttavia, queste innovazioni convivono con la permanenza della rappresentazione planimetrica, la cui astrazione è molto efficace nella lettura spaziale e costituisce l'unico modo per studiare le tracce, il progetto originario degli edifici e la pianificazione urbana.
Questo numero non trascura quei patrimoni meno visibili, gli edifici e gli spazi urbani trasformati o scomparsi, il cui riconoscimento, attraverso il rilevamento nei casi in cui è possibile, e la successiva restituzione planimetrica o ricostruzione virtuale, è l'unico modo per riportarli alla memoria collettiva. Questi processi devono essere trattati con il dovuto rigore, con particolare attenzione alla registrazione e alla dichiarazione delle diverse fonti utilizzate, in modo da consentire una lettura scientifica oltre che divulgativa, come stabilito dalle diverse direttive e carte internazionali.
A livello urbano e territoriale, la cartografia riveste particolare importanza in quanto fonte capace di codificare e rappresentare la realtà di uno spazio geografico, dalle caratteristiche fisiche ai fenomeni di varia natura. In questo ambito, i Sistemi Informativi Geografici hanno contribuito non solo a rappresentare, ma anche a gestire meglio il patrimonio, nonché a comprendere i modelli e a prendere decisioni. Più specificamente, l'HGIS (Heritage GIS) consente lo studio, la lettura e la gestione dell'immagine storica della città o del paesaggio urbano storico.
Infine, l'intelligenza artificiale, nel suo ruolo di tecnologia trasversale, ha profondamente trasformato le tecniche di analisi e di rappresentazione del patrimonio. I notevoli progressi che genera devono essere esplorati sotto la lente del ragionamento logico e critico, garantendo che l'automazione non sostituisca, ma potenzi il criterio esperto nell'interpretazione storica.
In questo numero ci interessano le ricerche che utilizzano le nuove tecnologie applicate al patrimonio architettonico, urbano e paesaggistico, intese come strumenti grafici che consentono nuove letture, capaci di ampliare gli orizzonti, utilizzati con spirito critico e senza abbandonare la necessaria prospettiva umanistica, che permette di comprenderne e proteggerne integralmente i valori.
Miguel Sancho Mir, Marta Quintilla Castán e Roberta Spallone
Issue 27 "Beyond Urban Green: Symbiosis between Vegetation and the Built Form"
Deadline for submission of articles: January 30th, 2026
Expected publication date: December 2026
Call Text:
The need to reconsider the relationship between nature and architecture has become increasingly urgent in today’s context. The climate crisis, the loss of biodiversity, and the depletion of natural resources demand new ways of inhabiting and designing. According to projections from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), by 2050 two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities. At the same time, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that without substantial changes to current emission policies, global warming will surpass the critical threshold of 1.5°C.
In response, we must redefine the models of our cities to make them not only more livable, but fundamentally more efficient from the environmental and biodiversity preservation point of view. In this context, vegetation plays an essential role. One of the key challenges in architectural and urban thinking today is rethinking the presence of vegetation in urban environments and how it might transform our way of life.
In contrast to the modernist paradigm, often based on the separation and domination of nature, we are witnessing a progressive reintegration and reinvention of nature. It is increasingly being understood as a key structuring element in architectural and urban design. Vegetation in our surroundings is no longer an immutable scenic backdrop or a reserve for evasion. We must approach its character from a new perspective that goes beyond the purely aesthetic and functional, shaping plant systems capable of generating ecosystem services in urban and peri-urban areas. This implies opening our eyes to new ecosystems emerging spontaneously within parks and gardens, or vacant lots, residual spaces, and post-industrial fragments.
Over the years, ZARCH has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental concerns, recognizing its vital place within architectural and urban thought. These concerns have been addressed in both individual articles and thematic issues such as No. 7 (Landscape Perspectives), No. 15 (Urban Processes, Water Dynamics, and Climate Change), or more recently, No. 23 (Peri-Urban Landscapes).
Continuing along these lines, the present issue aims to further explore, debate, and highlight the potential of the symbiosis between vegetation, architecture, landscape architecture, and urbanism. We welcome proposals and investigations that go beyond treating vegetation as a mere add-on in urban design, inviting instead a reconsideration of how we inhabit, design, and relate to plant life. This must be addressed through a transversal lens that promotes both conceptual and functional integration: conceptual, by fostering collaboration across disciplines; and functional, by establishing new interconnections between urban planning, architecture, and vegetation itself.
At the territorial and urban scale, mapping takes on a strategic dimension. Mapping the presence —or absence— of vegetation in cities and their surroundings, through analytical and representational tools capable of visualizing biodiversity, seasonal dynamics, ecosystemic flows, or multi-species relationships, can contribute to the elaboration of diagnostics and strategies. At the same time, works that explore critical re-readings of the binomial vegetation/architecture, whether from a historical or projective, political or sensorial, material or symbolic approach, can be insightful. The cartographic tool can reveal hidden potential in the territory and simulate the dynamic processes of the living landscape.
At the project scale, we are particularly interested in examining how architecture and landscape architecture might function as ecological infrastructure, not only through technical solutions. This includes buildings and public spaces designed to host non-human life forms, thresholds conceived as biological corridors, or typologies inspired by biophilia that merge with vegetated systems. These approaches offer the opportunity to rethink construction and urbanism through more inclusive and adaptive logics. In this context, we seek to investigate the role vegetation might play in shaping urban structures through richer and more complex frameworks: its integration into the built environment, its influence on urban fabrics, its contribution to spatial quality, its role in thermal comfort, and its pedagogical, productive, and social value.
Equally important is the inclusion of ruins and derelict, dismantled, or transitional structures-spaces that today offer fertile ground for both ecological and cultural regeneration. Urban planning must be capable of recognizing and incorporating these pre-existing conditions, whose symbolic, aesthetic, and functional value lies in their potential to form new ecosystems both within cities and in peri-urban territories. Hence, a territorial perspective becomes essential, opening new possibilities between interior and exterior, urban and natural domains. We especially encourage contributions that address edge spaces where biodiversity thrives. Zones where opportunistic vegetation, native or spontaneous, shape hybrid landscapes that function as ecological buffers.
Within this framework, we are also interested in research on artistic practices, community actions, and alternative pedagogies that promote the collective reappropriation of green spaces in the city. From public art to environmental activism, from self-managed parks to community gardens, from the artwork to the new perception of plant aesthetics, such initiatives generate a new urban ecological imaginary, one in which the city is no longer understood as the negation of nature, but rather as its potential ally.
From the vernacular to the visionary, from infrastructure to the sensory, from the urban core to the periphery. This issue invites transversal and multi-scalar contributions that approach vegetation and the ecosystems it embodies, not as passive resources, but as active agents that challenge our ways of designing, building, and inhabiting. The goal is to rethink our cities, considering the social and environmental challenges that lie ahead.
Carlos Ávila, Anna Laura Jeschke and Isabel Ezquerra
