This paper proposes to analyse the architectural and urbanism aspects in two different recent cases and one historic one related to the second recent case of reconstruction after disastrous events: 1. the progetto C.A.S.E., which created a series of new neighbourhoods around the city of L’Aquila, Italy, affected by the earthquake from 6th of April 2009. The old city was temporarily protected by means of propping, with the inhabitants evacuated, while new buildings, following the highest standards of seismic protection with base isolation, were built at a certain distance from the city, lacking services and public transport. The new architecture of the progetto C.A.S.E. is put in the context of similar developments of “Zeilenbau”. “Zeilenbau” is an urbanism approach typical for the edges of the city, rejecting tradition. 2. Reconstruction in Kolontar and Devecser after the chemical catastrophe from Ajka, Hungary, in 2010 as well as in Corbeni after floods on the Argeş river in Romania, in 1942. Unlike in L’Aquila, here the houses damaged by the red scum had to be demolished, and completely new buildings were erected in their place. Much of the design was done for free by star architect Imre Makovecz. Unlike in L’Aquila, it follows the vernacular tradition in architecture and in an urban setting. Building the village of Antoneşti in the settlement Corbeni not far from the highest mountains of Romania an architect of the style of Functionalism, trained in Italy, designed peasant houses. In both cases of traditional architecture the new architecture will be put in context as well. Common to all projects is that the building times were short, in about half a year the inhabitants were able to occupy the new houses. In L’Aquila prefabrication was used for this purpose. Timber was employed in all cases often along with reinforced concrete. All developments will be judged from a point of view in which a disaster is a force flattening a city, and the reconstruction produces a new striation, if we were to follow the philosophy of Deleuze as a research method of “the flat and the striated space”. This again will be put in connection with historic examples of restructuring a city after a disaster, investigating when striation followed the old pattern and when not. Another research method from the philosophy employed here will be deconstruction of the term “modern” and “tradition”. The article features images taken during the site visits at the analysed settings one year after the disasters for the recent ones, archive images and contemporary views for the historic one as well as 3D modeling approaches, along with images of the comparison objects.

This work deals with the different methods of building surveys. Special attention is paid to the record of building geometry. But methods of investigation of building materials are also considered. First, the classic approach to surveying buildings is presented to the readers. Proven measurement techniques are explained on the basis of sketches; the instruments used in this case are presented with color images. In the later chapters of this work, the reader is introduced to modern building survey systems. The use of a standard computer allows numerical evaluations of photos and makes the interpolation between two points in space measured in situ possible in the office. The monitoring of onsite measurements and the (also associated) reduced personnel costs by using site-ruggedized laptops are also discussed. But especially, the mystical world of photogrammetry is entered. The mathematical background is explained for the most part and software developed at IMB shows how to master façade evaluations using a photo and everyday programming means (the source code is located in Appendix C). Investigation processes of building materials and the fledgling recording system “laser pantograph” complete the circle of modern building acquisition systems. The use of computers causes in every area of daily life an automatic increase in information density. This fact is taken into account by modeling considerations in the last section.

The book tackles a topic very much neglected in current research: it is not a book about visualisation of landscape which is more spread, but about design issues, at both scales of landscape architecture and landscape planning. This book deals with planning issues in landscape architecture, which start at the evaluation of the existing fabric, its history and memory, approached and conserved through photography, film and scenographic installations, a way in which the archetypes can be investigated, be it industrial derelict sites or already green spaces and cultural landscapes. It provides approaches to intervention, through rehabilitation and upgrade, eventually in participative manner. To such evaluation and promotion, a couple of disciplines can contribute, such as history of art, geography and communication science, and of course (landscape) architecture. The field of landscape architecture reunites points of view from such different disciplines with a view to an active approach, a contemporary intervention or conservation. The book presents case studies from several European countries (Romania, Austria, the United Kingdom, Germany), mostly for large landscape in the outskirts of the cities and in the parks.

In January/February 2013, in frame of a short-term visit funded by NeDiMAH at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, we returned to an older research on the Magheru Boulevard in Bucharest, shaped during the interwar time (1930s) with Modernist buildings. The main outcome of our research concerned the digital representation of urban cultural routes. For this purpose, we designed some such routes for a number of architects, but also for the green spaces. The information about the architects will flow into an online encyclopaedia and thus be a part of a semantic network. The buildings themselves can be detailed in the plan or in the 3D model. In the meantime, the pedestrian route itself can be connected to the street network. We also analysed the street network as a graph, for two purposes. One is the optimisation of the accessibility through Space Syntax for performing the route. Such results can be used for creating similar routes of pre-1755 earthquake Lisbon in another project of us of similar identification of highlights in frame of a 3D city model. Another one is the optimisation of intervention in case of post-earthquake intervention (evacuation, employment of search and rescue teams) since these Modernist buildings are most vulnerable to earthquakes. For the later, we reviewed literature on the topic including agent-based modelling and street network modelling in GIS. Urban intervention in case of earthquakes can be of interest also for semantic networks, since an ontology of it can be developed.

In concluding this book, the author presents the initial thoughts in which context both 2D and 3D representations can be found regarding employment of digital methods for translating past, present, and future art and architecture objects into virtual reality. Approaches to this can be grouped into 3D city models, digital modelling of landscape, digital survey of building and landscape, employment of digital photo and video and their mapping and participative methods of mapping and modelling for decision making. This grouping led to the structure of the book, which is presented here. Authors from leading laboratories in the field in Europe, with whom the author collaborated through exchange visits, common applications, networks, and conference participation were invited either as authors or reviewers. The framework of the cooperation is presented. In detail, a review of Digital Landscape Architecture 2013 is given as an example. Conclusions are drawn on how this networking influenced the research presented in this book which contributed to the overall framework of NeDiMAH research, highlighting thus the way virtual mobility can contribute to research. Future initiatives are also presented.

In this paper, several steps for our research, in which the green walls are dealt with (documentation of the spread of green walls in Europe and housing by us with interior and exterior green walls), as well as continuous approaches (such as an invention patent for supporting green wall system), and in general the land art (contribution to the reconstruction of L’Aquila or simply representing the concept of space) are presented. Employing our experience, we will help the virtual and real land art work management, as well as contributing with two creations of us: virtual houses with green walls, which can be presented in real-time applications, and available on the Internet, as well as an alternative photographic exhibition in which the green plant materials as well as Art Nouveau wall drawings come to a dialogue. The research will help to highlight the contribution of green walls to landscape design and to the dissemination of this knowledge, which is currently not enjoying so much awareness. Increased awareness will help employment in post-disaster situations, which is the author’s area of research.

In this argumentation we will present different viewpoints on the matter that timber skeleton structures are constructive types that are characteristic for zones with high seismicity. Within this scope, we have done research on structures with timber skeleton through the published literature and in the field. Some of these constructive types are vernacular, other resulted from following seismic codes elaborated by the political authorities in periods as far back as the Baroque. Although these structures sustain the hypothesis of local seismic culture, the type is also spread in coastal cities, especially in zones with adequate wood as a resource, which is the “winning” argument.

This book, which is the second volume in a new series “Environmental hazards”, addresses a topic very much neglected in current research: the role of urban planning in earthquake disaster management. It is not a book about earthquake engineering issues but rather about management issues. Social sciences and arts are often disregarded in earthquake disaster management, the focus being mostly on technical aspects. But the study of the impact is important in order to facilitate appropriate implementation through transferring research knowledge to decision makers. The work is aimed at both junior and senior researchers creating the basis for new university curriculum, as there are very few courses in this field. The volume is organised in four sections, addressing the ‘reaction’ side of earthquake disaster management: vulnerability, planning, risk assessment and reconstruction. Each section addresses issues for decision makers, some at the level of participatory planning, as well as the role of specialists from urban planning, geography, engineering and seismology/earth sciences, while technical sciences include civil engineering and remote sensing/geo-information. We present the current state of the art in approaching the problems, the current challenges for further research and issue recommendations based on the results of current research. The work aims to reach a balance between dealing with existing heritage and new planning, because even in the twenty-first century new planning has to rely on lessons from the past. Another balance is reached between dealing with the technical and the humanities/social sciences approach, as reflected in the topic and the research methodology adopted. Case studies are emphasized, mostly from Italy and Romania, two countries that have experienced different types of earthquakes.

Romania was part of the European Science Foundation Research Networking Programme ‘Network for Digital Methods in Arts and Humanities’ (NeDiMAH) between 2012 and 2015, cofunded by CNCS, the Romanian Council for Scientific Research. NeDiMAH ran four years in total, from 2011 to 2015. The Romanian participation was singular in focusing on the image part dealt with in the network, as a result of the ‘arts’ dimension, whereas the majority of partners dealt with text and humanities. This book is an overview of initiatives in Europe related to the Romanian one, in order to contribute to one of the outcomes of the network, namely the mapping of the approaches. In this introduction the context of the Romanian contribution is presented in order to give the framework for the invited contributions to the book. The conclusion shows how these are and will be linked for future cooperation.

Several computer-aided methodologies are available to select buildings or urban areas for priority action by those involved in earthquake preparedness measures. These serve to measure the criteria after which structural engineers, project managers, or regional planners will set priorities. The potential for interactivity between the computer tool and its user decides the possibilities and limits in meeting the optimal solution. Usage of strong motion data to predict damage to buildings and urban areas is exemplified. The development of tools suitable to set priority criteria to protect urban settlements from earthquake impact is shown.