MEDIA ENVIRONMENT. New technologies and tools for built environment communication and valorization

Between the 13th of May and the 30th of June 2012, the Mantua Campus of the Politecnico di Milano hosted a series of international seminars and workshops on media environment and the new technologies available nowadays for the valorisation and redevelopment of the built environment. In this framework the term “environment” refers to the natural and anthropized environment that relates with architecture and human beings. The concept of environment seems to have recently become the focus of intense debate concerning, in particular, the feasibility of architectural projects that are increasingly subject to preliminary Environment Impact Assessment procedures. From a regulatory point of view, article 9 of the Italian Constitution establishes the obligation to protect the country’s natural environment and the historical and cultural heritage. In this framework the term “Media-Environment” hints at the conceptual and building evolution of the anthropized landscape in terms of the new technologies available to develop and valorise architecture and the built environment in general. What are the planning and technological tools, available nowadays, used in the redevelopment projects and, above all, how can they affect the built environment and the surrounding landscape? The premise is based upon the observation of the ongoing evolution of architectural projects at international level which seem increasingly focussed on a more formal and superficial (referring in this case to the concept of "surface") research, oriented towards communication and visibility, rather than on a functionality and performance-oriented research. The five encounters, supported by an international advisory board consisting of university teachers and researchers and professionals, aimed at stimulating critical thinking by presenting detailed technical and experimental studies on the application of technological innovation to the building envelope and urban space. Special attention was paid to the use of colour, light and new communication media in the planning process and for the valorisation of the cultural heritage.