Endangered Heritage Sites

Stefania Stellacci is an Integrated researcher at ISTAR (Information Sciences, Technologies and Architecture Research Center) at Iscte (University Institute of Lisbon), Coordinator of ISTAR research group Digital Living Spaces, Member of Scientific Committee (ISTAR), Deputy coordinator of Mixed Reality Lab (2023-), and Invited Professor at Iscte. She is an architect with a MSc in Architecture (University of Ferrara, 2006), holds a postgraduate degree in Built Conservation (Roma3 University, 2007) and a PhD in Architecture (Iscte, 2018). From 2008 to 2014 and 2018 to 2020, she worked as a project architect and team leader at international architecture companies in Lisbon, Pamplona, and Bari.

Her research spans across critical heritage studies, multiple-criteria decision analysis, sustainable heritage management, inclusive design, and digital transformation. Stefania organized a multi-session international symposium “Unforeseen path” (2022) and co-organized public expositions on the plantation heritage of São Tomé and Príncipe, in Lisbon and São Tomé and Príncipe (2021-2023). She has co-edited a book titled Advanced Research and Design Tools for Architectural Heritage Unforeseen Paths (Routledge, 2024). She has also published in reputable journals in architectural heritage and urban design. She is the Co-Principal Investigator of RETIME – Urban Adaptation and Alert Solutions for a TIMEly (re)Action, a €5 million EU-funded project (2024-2028), under HORIZON-CL5-2023-D4-02-02.

Serdar Aydin is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at Mardin Artuklu University. His research focuses on the digitization of cultural heritage including historical urban landscape, UNESCO-listed (Tentative List) late antique and medieval churches, monasteries, and medieval mosques and madrasahs. His work includes developing process models that illustrate the transition of traditional stone craftsmanship in Mardin to full automation and robotic fabrication; designing interactive virtual reality experiences for historical buildings and environments in Mardin and its rural areas; employing innovative methods such as the transect planning approach, typomorphological analysis, and form-based codes to study the historical urban landscape; and structural analysis of architectural elements in Mardin using finite element methods. As part of these efforts, his project Stone Town won second place in the Natural Stone Design Competition organized by the Ministry of Trade (Republic of Türkiye) in 2021. Serdar’s earlier research in digital heritage includes the gamified interactive environments he designed during his PhD, allowing visitors at the Te Papa Museum (Wellington, New Zealand) to experience the historical city of Kashgar, China, and its architectural features through computer games, virtual reality, and hybrid digital platforms.

 
He was awarded the ROA Award by the Hong Kong Government in 2014, the Design Research Society Student Scholarship in the same year, and the YoungCAADRIA Award in 2015. Beyond digital heritage, his research interests span design-research, building information modeling, game design, parametric and algorithmic design, urban morphology, and smart cities. His academic career has earlier taken him beyond Mardin, with experience in Liverpool (2010-12), Hong Kong (2013-15), Beijing (2014), and Wellington (2015-18). In addition to his academic work, he has engaged in architectural practice. In 2015, he worked at Zaha Hadid Architects in Hong Kong on the Changsha Meixihu International Culture & Arts Centre. He is the founding director of MIMFAB, the architectural research center at Mardin Artuklu University, where he leads architectural projects and R&D initiatives.