Lead partner organisation

The "Ion Mincu" University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest (UAUIM) (www.uauim.ro) is the oldest and most important academic institution in this field in Romania. It continues a long tradition of local architectural higher education, the foundation of which is closely linked with the rise of modern Romania and the setting of its new institutional structure and culture, during the second half of 19th century. With more than 300 people in the academic and research staff, UAUIM closely collaborates with different state institutions, regional and local authorities, academic institutions, NGOs and other national and international research units. The University premises contain edifices, terrains and equipment necessary to carry on the educational, creation, research process, as well as spaces for dwelling, meals, study, for exhibitions, cultural and sports events disregarding the judicial title.

The academic community is composed of undergraduates, doctoral students, students registered in postgraduate courses, postdoctoral researchers, didactic, research staff and auxiliary didactic staff.

Membership with the UAUIM academic community is open to Romanian and foreign citizens disregarding their sex, ethnicity, religious or political belonging. At national level, UAUIM higher education system accreditation has been certified by ARACIS and is still valid. The UAUIM has been internationally recognized and is part of the major European inter-university networks as AESOP, RIBA, EAAE, UNISCAPE, ECLAS, that confirm the strong competences in the higher education of architecture, urbanism and landscape.

The University consists of three faculties: Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Urban Planning and Faculty of Interior Architecture.

Within its higher education expertise area, the university offer full time degree programs that are conducted in English for architecture fields of study and French for urbanism field of study. The Faculty of Architecture is organized in 6 year of study (4 year Bachelor + 2 years Integrated Master) and Architecture Doctoral School. Faculty of Urban Planning and Faculty of Interior Architecture organizes each one and carries on 2 Bachelor-level programs- four years, 1 Bachelor- level program- 3 years and 6 Urbanism Master Level Programs and Urbanism Doctoral School. UAUIM coordinates the following courses at Master of Science level in Landscape and Territory: Territorial planning and Regional Development; Urbanism and Public Policies; Urban Design; Urban Management for Competitive Cities; Urban mobility.

The UAUIM chairs are related to the different approach of the architectural design: introduction, basics and synthesis, urbanism and landscape with a scale approach, history and theory of architecture and heritage conservation, technical sciences and also departments that are responsible of the finances management of the school, communication, international cooperation in education (with different educational programs) and European funds (BAFE).

The UAUIM fosters a student-centered learning and encourages student mobility in the spirit of the Bologna process to create the European Higher Education Area. The UAUIM fosters international cooperation and integration within the European Higher Education Area, by constantly pursuing of a high standard educational offer in accordance with the best practices of the European higher architectural education, including evaluations performed by prestigious international organizations in the field.

UAUIM have been representatives at different international professional bodies such as EC, HABITAT, CEMAT, ESPON, REA, RUR, OAR, etc. and have worked jointly with the local authorities and professional organizations in the areas of cross border cooperation, regional development and sustainable development.

Today, by exercising its responsibilities resulting from its position on the border between art, technology and territorial development, and by pursuing its duty to develop the creative capacity of functional-aesthetic unity and originality, which is always capable of providing scientific responses to the demands of the economic and social usefulness, the UAUIM degree programs have been greatly enhanced by strong core competencies in that fields and plays a key role in the consolidation and development of higher education, science, art and national culture.

The topics of this project are approached from various angles, both in teaching methods and curricula, in the field of architectural design, urban planning and territorial development, technical sciences departments.

The UAUIM fosters a steady relation with the professional practice through cooperation with national and international organizations in the field of architecture and urbanism; it also promotes joint actions as well as the implication of some professionals in the teaching and evaluation processes, etc. UAUIM has also four research centers (Center for Research Design Building Evaluation and Consulting (CCPEC), Research Center Bank in Construction Architecture and Urbanism Data (BICAU), Center for Architectural and Urban Studies (CSAU), Study Centre for Vernacular Architecture (CSAV) and establish a cross- sector collaboration that gives a scientific inputs to the UAUIM faculties higher education curricula.

The members of UAUIM form a teaching and research corpus who covers various fields of expertise related to territorial and urban planning: research studies and innovation in field of urban and regional development, landscape planning and research, economic development, ecology and environmental protection, social aspects, mobility, consultancy and legal expertise on National Planning Framework, spatial and urban development, territorial planning and development strategies, urban design, landscape planning and design, master program curricula.

The key persons involved in this projects are members of the Faculty of Architecture and Faculty of Urbanism and have expertise in disciples correlated with sustainable and inclusive development strategies to vitalize heritage through Innovative Technologies.

They have experience and expertise in teaching methods of architectural design and urbanism/ landscape studios in theoretical courses (“Rural Landscape” and “Site planning analyses and sustainable development”).

They expertise in the specific fields of higher education that:

- respond to rapidly shifting values in contemporary culture,

- are prepared to face the explosion of new building materials and technologies,

- are sensitive to traditional values and local identity; are aware of the fast deterioration of natural environment and the necessity of creating a more energy-efficient and more sustainable built environment.

Their experience is relative for this project in a wide series of valuable domains for a better reading and finding solutions in the territory, defining cultural sustainability for specific territory, project management & risks, hazards for valuable sites, but also for sensitive rural territories, morphology multi-layered analysis (investigating patterns and traditions), investigating symbolic and signification, authenticity of rural (visual and intelligence incomes), finding uniqueness and authenticity, in custom details/ crafts/ urban settings, defining the cultural specific setup space and salvage measures (through cultural activation, paths, adding reuse purposes or events), comparative methods for sites results and built infrastructure, energy efficiency, climate change and vernacular inquiries, redesigning climatic environment, innovation from the rural settings, public space-cored places, authenticity and autonomy for UNESCO files, forgotten traditions and anthropologies, natural setups and specific connected events, transnational discussions on present priority research subjects.