Research topics

Curriculum "Architecture"

1.1 Design theories and methods and sustainable constructions;
1.2 Inclusive design, design for all, accessibility to spaces, products and services, sustainable design;
1.3 Innovative technologies and materials for industrial, building and structural design;
1.4 Materials and techniques for the conservation of historical heritage, building maintenance and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) considerations;
1.5 Cultural heritages. Innovations and ICT processes for cultural heritages use and conservation.

1.7 Digital transition: product and process in the digital age for the construction industry.
1.8 Business models for catalyzing innovation in the construction industry.
1.9 Green Transition strategies for increasing sustainable practices in the construction industry.
1.10 Innovative methods, technologies and applications for energy efficiency in the construction sector and the utilization of renewable resources.
1.11 Architectural and urban design methodologies, adaptive reuse tools, and strategies for art and culture in inclusive cities and sustainable environments.

Curriculum "Urban planning"

2.1 The city of today and tomorrow, between environmental upgrading and rehabilitation of the existing urban fabrics: requirements of functional conversion and new social demand of housing quality and urban livability;
2.2 The role of historic and cultural heritage of built-up environment and landscape in post-industrial urban development, with special reference to policies for sustainable local development;
2.3 Territory, landscape and regeneration of the built-up environment: infrastructural interventions, new energy sources and climatic change;
2.4 City governance and appropriate development policies through land management, and economic and financial tools, etc.

In addition to these cited topics some additional scholarships could be activated. These will be related to very specific binding topics that the applicant should consider in its research proposal and that will be highlighted in the call of the yearly selective process. These specific binding topics will be addressed by scholarship financing institutions or will be related to specific ongoing financed researches.

Note
These topics serve as a reference (as a framework) for the submission of research proposals by candidates being selected for the Course. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent cross-cutting and timely goals of each of the research topics just mentioned, but they are not the only ones. The Digital and Energy Transition, Smart Environments, and IOT, AI, and robotics topics also represent increasingly cross-cutting themes in the most innovative research.