Valorisation of historical heritage and urban project: a methodological sight

The contribution is framed within the research fields of DICAAR, Department of Civil Environmental Engineering and Architecture of the University of Cagliari, on the topic of the regeneration of historical centres and the relationship between the valorisation of historical heritage and contemporary design. The following is a summary of a training experience in the context of the RCR XVII International Architecture and Landscape Workshop 2024, focused on the transmission of a precise methodology for the project. The architects’ contribution concerns the construction of a design posture based on intentionality and a selective ability, which in turn is able to translate into a communicative awareness in the graphic elaboration and verbal exposition. One of the proposed design exercises questions the way in which the city of Barcelona can respond urbanistically to such a complex theme as the Sagrada Familia Basilica in the making, exploring issues related to the usability of the historical monumental heritage as an element endowed with an urban vocation, in its being a potential economic activator and social attractor. The issue is at the centre of contemporary debate due to the imminent completion of the temple’s construction, including its main entrance for which Antoni Gaudì designed a grand staircase, now in conflict with the urban fabric of the present city. The projects elaborated during the workshop show different approaches with which to interpret the topic of accessibility in a cohesive manner with respect to an interpretative path guided by a precise methodological structure.