The project aimed to develop new approaches for the reconstruction of urban structures destroyed by natural or human-made disasters. By combining participatory formats, digital technologies, and educational initiatives, we aimed to ensure that rebuilding processes restore not only physical spaces but also social and cultural meaning—empowering communities to be active partners in shaping their future environments. Our objective was to build a transdisciplinary framework that integrates expertise from architecture, engineering, cultural heritage, planning, and social sciences, and to create methods that enable local communities to contribute as knowledge holders and decision-makers. Through collaboration among institutions with diverse regional and disciplinary backgrounds, we sought to design tools, participatory formats, and teaching materials that support holistic, inclusive reconstruction processes. A key goal was to lay the groundwork for a future School of Reconstruction and to provide inputs for a transferable educational programme that equips students and professionals to engage with the complex realities of post-disaster contexts in a sustainable, socially responsible, and informed way.
We applied for this project to address a critical gap in post-disaster reconstruction: the insufficient involvement of local communities and the frequent neglect of intangible cultural heritage. Reconstruction efforts often concentrate on physical structures, overlooking the cultural meanings, values, and lived experiences embedded in urban spaces. We identified the need for a participatory, transdisciplinary approach that recognizes communities as active knowledge holders. Many ordinary buildings are poorly documented, yet people retain valuable insights in memories, photos, and informal records. Equally important was the diversity of partner institutions—bringing together backgrounds in architecture, urban planning, history, restoration, engineering, and social sciences. We saw this as a unique opportunity to integrate multiple perspectives and methodologies to support more inclusive and culturally sensitive reconstruction. The project also responded to the lack of educational programmes preparing professionals to manage reconstruction with awareness of both material and immaterial urban layers.