Prospects

6710 - Engineering for Historic Building Rehabilitation

Professional profiles

professional profile

Senior Engineer of Building and Urban Systems, specializing in the consolidation and rehabilitation of historic buildings.

 

Role in a work context:

This professional figure is specialized in diagnosing the condition of historic buildings and identifying the critical issues that compromise their preservation. They assess the cultural value and regulatory constraints of the structures and are responsible for the conception, design, and supervision of consolidation, restoration, and redevelopment interventions needed to ensure their safeguarding and usability, applying appropriate procedures and methodologies.

The roles that this professional may assume in a professional context include that of a technical officer/engineer in public and private organizations involved in the surveying, diagnostics, consolidation, and rehabilitation of historic buildings, as well as in complementary sectors. Upon passing the State Examination, the individual may practice as a professional engineer in the civil and environmental sectors, exercising the competencies granted by law.

The main activities that characterize this professional figure include preparing accurate diagnoses of the conservation status, functional performance, and reliability of historic buildings; conducting feasibility studies for appropriate consolidation and restoration interventions; designing the interventions; supervising their execution; and verifying their effectiveness, in order to ensure the safeguarding of the structures and enable their use in compliance with regulatory requirements.

To perform these activities, the professional coordinates with survey and diagnostics technicians; architectural designers and specialist restorers and systems engineers; and public authorities responsible for overseeing building activities and protecting historic structures.

 

Skills associated with the role:

To carry out the functions described above, specific knowledge, skills, and abilities of a specialized technical-engineering nature are required, supplemented by complementary multidisciplinary competencies. The specific skills required for the performance of this role's characteristic tasks include:

• critical analysis of historic buildings, with the ability to recognize their cultural value, identify elements worthy of preservation, and understand the regulatory protection constraints they are subject to;
• accurate surveying of all components of the historic building, diagnosis of its conservation state and structural reliability, and modelling of its behaviour under stress;
• identification of the necessary consolidation and rehabilitation interventions to ensure the preservation of the structures and enable their use, including the organization of implementation processes and the selection of appropriate technologies;
• design of interventions, supervision of their execution, and assessment of their effectiveness;
• advanced self-learning abilities and commitment to continuous professional development;
• cross-disciplinary communication and interpersonal skills.

 

Career Opportunities:

The main career opportunities, specifically those for which the degree programme provides adequate preparation for the initial years of employment, include the following roles that may be undertaken by graduates with a Master’s degree:

• employee in public bodies or agencies: assistant to the Project Manager (e.g., assistant to the Construction Site Director);
• employee in private companies operating in the fields of diagnostics, surveying, consolidation, and rehabilitation of historic buildings (e.g., assistant to the Technical Director);
• self-employed professional activity as an engineer in the civil and environmental sectors (subject to passing the State Examination).

Given the increasing specialization of roles in the target job markets, it may be necessary to pursue additional qualifications in one or more professional sectors through high-level postgraduate courses or master's programmes.

Continuing to study

It gives access to third cycle studies (Dottorato di ricerca/Scuole di specializzazione) and master courses of second degree.