The End of the Eternal?

The research aimed to investigate the concept of geological heritage (or geoheritage) and its conservation from the landscape perspective, where time and constant transformation are key elements of the discipline. The goal was to explore new possible ways of dealing with changes over time and contemporary stratifications in architectural heritage, while also considering the upheavals caused by climate change and their effects on the identity of the territory.
In addition to a general analysis of the tools for the valorisation and protection of geoheritage, specific attention was given to the cases of the Dolomites and Etna—Italian sites included in the UNESCO World Heritage List for their geology.
During the course of the research, several contradictions emerged: regarding valorisation, there is a multitude of overlapping initiatives on geoheritage lacking clear coordination and guided by confused criteria, while as for conservation, there are cases where it can only be limited to monitoring naturally occurring changes, and cases where an active approach is pursued to prevent transformation of the landscape.
As a result of the research, a contribution (paper and communication) was prepared for the UNISCAPE International Conference, held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife from July 8 to 12, 2024.

Camila Burgos Vargas, architect, was awarded a doctorate cum laude from the PhD programme in Construcción y Tecnología Arquitectónicas of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in 2024, in joint supervision with the PhD programme in Architettura, Città e Design of the Università IUAV di Venezia, with a thesis entitled Superimposed Heritage. The persistence of contemporary interventions on architectural heritage”. Burgos Vargas is a member of the emerging professionals group of ICOMOS España and of the international scientific committee ICOMOS TheoPhilos – Theory and Philosophy of Restoration.
The research conducted during her PhD investigates the heritage values that a contemporary intervention can add or take away from the pre-existing context on which it operates, considering such interventions as stratifications of an architectural heritage that is always subject to transformation. Building on this premise, the concept of geological heritage and its conservation was explored at the Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche.