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4CULTURAL HERITAGE ASSETS IN CENTRAL ASIA -INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO THE COMPLEX PROBLEM OF ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT
Lars Abrahamczyk, Kemmar Webber, Fulvio Rinaudo, Davorin Penava, Saidislomkhon Usmanov, Gulnora Anvarova, Mukhsin Hidirov, Jafar
Niyazov, Shuhrat Usmonov
Abstract: Uzbekistan owns more than 7,500 Cultural Heritage (CH) assets and the Republic of Tajikistan has registered a total of 2020 historical and cultural monuments including more than 300 architectural and more than 1000 archaeological sites. Several CH assets have been destroyed from constant negative influence of natural and man-made hazards. The governments have made considerable efforts to comply with its obligations under the UNESCO 1972 Convention. Both territories have a number of concepts for the preservation of architectural heritage. Whereas there is a lack of qualified engineers as well as review and consideration of international developments as well as international practice adoptable to Central Asia CH. This paper presents the findings of the partner's investigations as well as the concept and objectives for the development of a master's course in Cultural Heritage Conservation in Central Asia within Erasmus+CBHE project with focus on environmental risk assessment and mitigation (hydrogeology, climate changes, seismic action, etc.) on structures and natural places, documentation and monitoring strategies of structures and landscapes, restoration and conservation strategies and others.
Key words: Cultural Heritage, Central Asia, Erasmus+ Capacity Building, Higher Education, Preservation, Environmental Risk, Master's Course.
ОБЪЕКТЫ КУЛЬТУРНОГО НАСЛЕДИЯ В ЦЕНТРАЛЬНОЙ АЗИИ - МЕЖДИСЦИПЛИНАРНЫЙ ПОДХОД К КОМПЛЕКСНОЙ ПРОБЛЕМЕ ОЦЕНКИ ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО РИСКА
Ларс Aбрахамчик, Кеммар Веббер, Фулвио Ринаудо, Даворин Пенава, Саидисломхон Усманов, Гулнора Aнварова, Мурсии Хддиров,
Жафар Ниязов, Шухрат Усмонов
Аннотация: Узбекистану принадлежит более 7500 объектов культурного наследия (КН), а в Республике Таджикистан зарегистрировано в общей сложности 2020 памятников истории и культуры, в том числе более 300 архитектурных и более 1000 археологических памятников. Несколько
объектов КН разрушены от постоянного негативного воздействия природных и техногенных опасностей. Правительства предприняли значительные усилия для выполнения своих обязательств по Конвенции ЮНЕСКО 1972 года. Обе территории имеют ряд концепций по сохранению архитектурного наследия. Целесообразно принять во внимание нехватку квалифицированных инженеров,обзор и рассмотрение международных разработок, а также международной практики, применимой к КН Центральной Азии. В этой статье представлены результаты партнерских исследований, а также концепция и цели разработки магистерского курса по сохранению культурного наследия в Центральной Азии в рамках проекта Erasmus+CBHE с упором на оценку и смягчение экологических рисков (гидрогеология, изменение климата, сейсмические действия и др.) по сооружениям и природным местам, документация и стратегии мониторинга сооружений и ландшафтов, стратегии реставрации и сохранения и другим.
Ключевые слова: Культурное наследие, Центральная Азия, наращивание потенциала Erasmus+, высшее образование, сохранение, экологический риск, магистерская программа.
Project Erasmus+ ERAMCA
The Erasmus+ ERAMCA project [3-5] aims to integrate the knowledge of environmental and civil engineers, and architects in an interdisciplinary process aimed at providing practical solutions to complex problems related to management of environmental risks on cultural heritage in compliance with international policies related to conservation and restoration promoted by UNESCO [11] and from international charters on restoration promoted by ICOMOS. The wider ERAMCA objective is to build capacity in environmental risk assessment and mitigation on Cultural Heritage Assets in Central Asia by designing and developing an innovative educational platform based on new interdisciplinary courses, e-learning methods and digital tools to promote an effective conservation strategy of Cultural Heritage assets at different interest level.
The ERAMCA project aims to consider the environmental action on CH assets: climatic changes, hydrogeological phenomena, seismic phenomena and pollution. The correct knowledge and interpretation of these phenomena could help the simulation of the effects of foreseen environmental actions and therefore give significant information about the degradation of CH assets (buildings, historical centers, urban and natural landscapes, etc.) as well as a correct design of mitigation actions and a preventive design of possible intervention in case of catastrophic events (e.g. earthquakes, landslides, floods, etc.). CH in Central Asia is prone to those problematics therefore ERAMCA would like to give to the involved Countries (Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) effective solutions by acting and enhancing
local potentialities represented by young generations of teachers and students and by inviting local stakeholders (mainly public authorities and agencies such as Local UNESCO offices and Ministries of Education and Culture) to give specific objectives to be reached. ERAMCA join three European universities where updated research and teaching activities are developed on environmental risk assessment and reduction on CH assets by using an interdisciplinary approach.
The main strategies of Cultural Heritage conservation were pointed out in a Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan on "Preservation and Utilization of Culture Heritage Properties" (N: 265 in March 30, 2019) [8] and law of republic of Tajikistan on "Protection and Utilization of historical and cultural heritages" (N:377 in May 17, 2017) [7]. According to these documents, some of the main strategies are: strengthening the capacity of young teachers to develop conservation and restoration projects by using advanced technologies considering internationally accepted concepts of conservation; prepare electronic and cadastral documents for all CH assets using modern techniques; systematic monitoring of urban transformation of traditional urban fabrics of world heritage sites; assessing the condition of cultural heritage monuments which are not in heritage list of government and establishing the conservation and restoration schools.
Background
The historic cities of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan with their famous and traditional architectural ensembles, archaeological sites, and traditional urban fabric are considered as a unique world heritage property. The traditional urban fabric and monuments have suffered largely due to rapid urban transformation and environmental impacts. Most of the monuments are located within urban areas and are considered as an integral part of the urban fabric. The authenticity and integrity of historic urban fabrics are well preserved in Sughd, Khatlon, Gorno-Badakhshan Regions in Tajikistan. The same, Bukhara, Samarkand and Khiva are some of the most famous world heritage sites in Uzbekistan. Rapid development has damaged traditional elements of the historic urban fabric as well as traditional houses. These changes have been mainly caused by owners and local authorities looking for better comfort and quality of life without considering traditional urban fabric rules [2].
The traditional urban fabric is an essential part of the significance of the historic city. This means that the demolition of traditional housing areas should be avoided or limited, or faced with a different perspective; measures should be taken to encourage their sustainable development and rehabilitation. Another issue is that most of the traditional houses with high heritage value were not documented and consequently they were not included into the national protected heritage list. Some stakeholders did not know about the existence of these traditional houses since the existence of these cultural heritages were documented during the Soviet Union
period and they were on paper document format. Most of these documents have been unfortunately irretrievably lost.
In Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the threats of physical loss of CH sites are associated with natural and anthropogenic wear processes caused by: adverse climatic conditions and structural instability of buildings; humidity and natural disasters; geological and hydrological motions and earthquakes; inappropriate intervention on buildings; fires, vandalism and other aggressive actions. One of the main deficiency is practically an absence of complete documentation of each CH asset (both of international or national interests) and an appropriate monitoring of their real conditions.
The main environmental issue, in almost all historical cities, is salt attack to foundations or underground facilities of historic and residential buildings. Salt attack is a result of high groundwater tables. The groundwater table is high in almost all historic urban areas and this is mainly due to mismanagement and inappropriate functioning of sewage and water supply systems. Due to these environmental impacts, the historic urban fabric has lost many of its traditional houses and monuments. Moreover, many historic buildings, including the residential ones, are seismically unsafe. Most people live in traditional houses and the local authorities do not have the necessary knowledge and expertise to restore and retrofit them. In the 1990s, Tashkent Research Institute of Restoration was abolished and subsequently the number of masters graduates and specialists have diminished.
Figure 1: Renovated Bibi-Khanym mosque [9]
The fundamental issues with the conservation of traditional architectural ensembles and unique monuments are inappropriate restoration and planning activities. Moreover, the seismic safety of these architectural ensembles and unique monuments has not been assessed. This is in part due to lack of the appropriate assessment models and strategy. The structural assessment of these unique architectural monuments is very important since they are at risk from several environmental hazards. As a result of changing climatic conditions, an increase in the mean precipitation rate and wind speed are forecasted. Archeologically excavated remains are also being destroyed because of precipitation, wind erosion and landslides.
It is noted that several restoration projects have been undertaken in the 1900s with mixed success. One of the more ambitious restoration projects was that of the Bibi-Khanym mosque which was one of the largest mosques in the Islamic world in the 15th century (Figure 1). Moreover, the renovation between 1991-1996 is believed to alter the original design concept since additional octagonal segments were placed on the meagre remains of the two framing towers (guldasta) and a band of inscriptions was added to the main sanctuary which elongated the overall proportions of the iwan and obstructed the view of the rebuilt turquoise dome [6]. The designed master's course will provide a forum for training and academic debate.
Concept and Objectives
ERAMCA is a joint effort between EU Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the Uzbekistan and Tajikistan HEIs, which aims to introduce an interdisciplinary approach into the teaching activities of local Universities with a voluntary acceptance of the EU policies and experiences in higher education systems. The focus will be on environmental risk assessment and mitigation (hydrogeology, climate changes, seismic action, etc.) on structures and natural places, documentation and monitoring strategies of structures and landscapes, restoration and conservation strategies and others. In particular, the following results were achieved in the project:
- Design of a Master in "Environmental Risk Assessment and Mitigation on Cultural Heritage Assets" following a multi-level approach in capacity building;
- Design and developing of teaching modules that follows the ERAMCA Strategic Education Agenda;
- Composition and harmonization of education and training packages and integration of existing curricula and material;
- Design a basic equipment for the laboratories which support the practical courses and the final project.
The objectives of the master's degree are set considering the different background and skills that Partner Countries experts have i.e. in the field of: geomatics, seismic engineering, hydrogeology, restoration and geotechnics. In addition, the general structure of the Master is defined considering the overall number of 120 ECTS, share of mandatory and elective ECTS. The overall pedagogical approach is set up with an outline of innovative learning schemes including e-learning, participate learning and learning by doing.
A general project overview is shown in Figure, where it is shown that the documentation of theoretical content and training of participants are the major milestones before the implementation of the master's program.
Digital library and practical training material for each course Theoretical
Start of the master's program for the first batch of student Implementation
Training program for teachers and staff
Planning
Definition of master's program and quality evaluation process
S
Certification
Third-party evaluation for conformity to local and international standards
Figure 2. Overview of Project
The theoretical content is documented via online digital libraries with lecture notes and tutorial content for each course. The training program for the local teachers was conducted in the form of a workshop which facilitated the transfer of skills and content through collaboration to ensure that there is adequate preparation for the next phase of the project. From October 2022 the ERAMCA Master is activated in all the four Central Asia universities that participate the project.
Findings and Outcomes
Basic knowledge of potential students
A survey was conducted among members of the state examination commission on the degree of readiness of graduates over the last three years. They were evaluated on a five-point scale (1 - low level of development; 5 - high level of development) the level of mastering by graduates of professional competencies according to state educational standards of specialties. The basic knowledge of graduates in the specialty of Civil Engineering and Architecture of Khujand Polytechnic Institute of Tajik Technical University (KPITTU), Tajik Technical University (TTU), Turin Polytechnic University in Tashkent (TTPU) and Samarkand State Architectural and Civil Engineering Institute (SamSACII) were analyzed.
Another focus of the questionnaire was the definition of expected learning outcomes to the specialization in civil engineering and architecture.
By the type of professional activity in the direction of "Civil Engineering", the specific types of activity of the graduate are determined to be: 1) exploration and design activities; 2) production-technological and production-management activities; 3) experimental research. In the direction of "Architecture": 1) design activities; 2) research activities; 3) communication activities; 4) organizational and management activities; 5) critical and expert activities.
In an integrated form, the requirements for a modern engineer and architect for the results of his professional activity can be formulated as follows: the ability and readiness to creatively solve professional problems, the ability to navigate in non-standard conditions, possession of the system of necessary fundamental and special knowledge and practical skills necessary for the creation and implementation of competitive projects; methodological training; striving for continuous personal and professional improvement; high communication readiness, including in an inter-professional team; professional responsibility and ethics. The conducted survey allows to conclude that the training of future civil engineers and architects of KPITTU, TTU, TTPU and SamSACII and their readiness to solve professional problems as a prerequisite to enter the master's course is at a good level.
Review of International Courses
A review of international CH courses was done from which 8 with a similar profile were evaluated (Figure). International master's programs for CH generally covers restoration, research methods, projects and historical information. In the
proposed Master's program 56% of the courses covers civil engineering disciplines, 12.5% for restoration and the remaining for other required courses.
Figure 3. Review of International Master's Degrees on Cultural Heritage
Overall Pedagogical Approach
A blended learning approach which combines online educational interaction with traditional classroom methods will be used and encouraged for the M.Sc. Course. This approach will provide a robust and reliable platform that can safeguard against obstacles that may occur as a result of COVID-19 or other circumstances. The participants will be encouraged to make use of peripatetic teaching and distant learning platforms in order to adapt to the best practices in academia and meet the changing needs of students. This will present a chance for further support by current partner universities.
The volume of open educational resources (OER) has expanded over the past two decades and transformed the teaching and learning environment and has contributed to the development of major revolutionary technology. Figure shows the eight main attributes of open pedagogy which represents a new culture of learning that has occurred.
Figure 4. Eight attributes of Open Pedagogy [1]
This has been brought about by connected communities through the internet and digital technologies. Participants will be encouraged to be adaptive to stimulate innovation and creativity using these features.
The training will include the use of reinforcement techniques to supplement lectures that present new concepts, terms and processes by using media didactics or demonstrations. There will also be presentations on student-centered project-based learning to address real world problems. The project also aims to inspire the development of an international classroom environment to overcome language barriers and academic cultural differences in order to prepare students for the global labor market. The training program additionally provides a suitable foundation for future cooperation between partner institutions.
General Structure of Required Master's Course
The general structure of the master's course relies on the foundation given by undergraduate study programs in engineering and architecture taught in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Additionally, it reflects the need and high demand of courses covering the topics of: geomatics, seismic engineering, structural engineering hydrogeology, restoration and geotechnics.
After the first investigations, some of the most important stake-holders in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were invited to a Workshop to illustrate which are the requirements for a future generation of civil engineers and architect able to work in a team to face the complex and multidisciplinary problem of the safeguards of Cultural heritage assets in Central Asia.
At the end of this Workshop. A strategic agenda has been prepared and used to define the detailed contents of the ERAMCA Master.
The two-year master's course is divided in four semesters (two years). The overall number of 120 ECTS credits assign for the master's course is divided on 30 ECTS per semester (60 ECTS per year). It includes electives (E) and compulsory modules (C), professional practice and master's thesis. In the first two semesters elective modules are included in order to facilitate different educational bachelor programme backgrounds of architectural and civil engineering students.
In the 1st year the students are provided with theoretical backgrounds on different disciplines with basic training and examples to learn the use of software and instruments. In the 2nd year the course focuses on the analysis and data collection from specific case studies where students can elaborate the idea for the final thesis.
The master's course is comprised of four compulsory modules (C) in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd semesters. The courses in the winter semesters, are be mainly taught by a combination of in-class and teaching methods, while the summer semester is open for field-work or in-situ teaching. The number of 6 ECTS (or 12 ECTS) credits are assigned per module. The project-based learning (PBL) in the 3rd semester will be coordinated by senior lecturers.
The 4th semester is comprised of research (laboratory or field work) oriented master's (M. Sc.) thesis writing and submission (research-based learning) of total 20 ECTS, and prior to that, the compulsory training period e.g. professional practice (stakeholders) as a work-based learning pedagogical approach of total 10 ECTS. Each discipline introduces a more detailed information by considering the selected case study. The remaining credits are devoted to develop the analysis and solution proposals on the specific case study.
Learning Outcomes
With respect to the nature and purpose of the proposed master's course, where students are bringing different background from their undergraduate education i.e. architectural or civil engineering, the category of the master's course becomes truly multi-disciplinary. The master's course will also provide an opportunity to integrate the technical and non-technical skills of engineering and to develop a commitment to professional and social responsibility and ethical codes. Graduates from an accredited master's course must comprehend the learning outcomes described below, including the acquisition of knowledge, with respect to i.e. build on their, entry (relevant) engineering discipline (architecture or civil engineering).
The learning outcomes stated are at enhanced and extended levels, the balance of which will vary according to the content and aims of each module. Crucially, master's students will have the ability to integrate their prior knowledge
and understanding of the discipline and engineering practice with the development of advanced level knowledge and understanding, to continue their education at postgraduate level, or to solve a substantial range of environmental engineering problems, that may be complex or novel. They will have acquired much of this ability through individual and/or group projects. Ideally, some of these projects would have industrial involvement or be practice-based. In general, the recognition of the learning outcomes will be arranged by the use of ECTS credit points. The learning outcomes are summarized as follows:
Science and Mathematics
Civil engineering and architectural education are necessarily relying on science and mathematics. With the main science and mathematical knowledge developed in an undergraduate programme, Masters graduates will therefore need additionally:
- A comprehensive understanding of the relevant scientific principles of the specialisation;
- A critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights most of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the specialisation;
- Understanding of concepts relevant to the discipline, some from outside engineering, and the ability to evaluate them critically and to apply them effectively, including in engineering projects.
Engineering Analysis
Engineering analysis involves the application of engineering concepts and tools to the solution of engineering problems. The main engineering analysis abilities are developed within an undergraduate programme; therefore, Masters graduates will additionally need:
- Ability both to apply appropriate engineering analysis methods for solving complex problems in engineering and to assess their limitations;
- Ability to use fundamental knowledge to investigate new and emerging technologies;
- Ability to collect and analyse research data and to use appropriate engineering analysis tools in tackling unfamiliar problems, such as those with uncertain or incomplete data or specifications, by the appropriate innovation, use or adaptation of engineering analytical methods.
Architectural and Engineering Design
Design at this level is the creation and development of an economically viable solution to meet a defined need. It involves significant technical and intellectual challenges and can be used to integrate all engineering understanding, knowledge and skills to the solution of real and complex problems. The main
design abilities will have been developed in an undergraduate programme; therefore, Masters graduates will additionally need:
- Knowledge, understanding and skills to work with information that may be incomplete or uncertain, quantify the effect of this on the design and, where appropriate, use theory or experimental research to mitigate deficiencies;
- Knowledge and comprehensive understanding of design processes and methodologies and the ability to apply and adapt them in unfamiliar situations;
- Ability to generate an innovative design for products, systems, components or processes to fulfil new needs.
Economic, Legal, Social, Ethical and Environmental Context Engineering activity can have impacts on the environment, on commerce, on society and on individuals. Master Graduates therefore need the skills to manage their activities and to be aware of the various legal and ethical constraints under which they are expected to operate, including:
- Awareness of the need for a high level of professional and ethical conduct in engineering;
- Awareness that engineers need to take account of the commercial and social contexts in which they operate;
- Knowledge and understanding of management and business practices, their limitations, and how these may be applied in the context of the particular specialisation;
- Awareness that engineering activities should promote sustainable development and ability to apply quantitative techniques where appropriate;
- Awareness of relevant regulatory requirements governing engineering activities in the context of the particular specialisation;
- Awareness of and ability to make general evaluations of risk issues in the context of the particular specialisation, including health & safety, environmental and commercial risk.
Professional Practice
The main engineering practice abilities will have been developed in an accredited engineering undergraduate programme. Master's graduates will need to demonstrate application of these abilities where appropriate and additional engineering skills which can include:
- Advanced level knowledge and understanding of a wide range of engineering materials and components;
- A thorough understanding of current practice and its limitations, and some appreciation of likely new developments;
- Ability to apply engineering techniques, taking account of a range of commercial and industrial constraints;
- Understanding of different roles within an engineering team and the ability to exercise initiative and personal responsibility, which may be as a team member or leader.
Additional General Skills
Graduates must have developed transferable skills, additional to those set out in the other learning outcomes, that will be of value in a wide range of situations, including the ability to:
- Apply their skills in problem solving, communication, information retrieval, working with others, and the effective use of general IT facilities;
- Plan self-learning and improve performance, as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD;
- Monitor and adjust a personal programme of work on an on-going basis;
- Exercise initiative and personal responsibility, which may be as a team member or leader.
Discussion and Conclusion
The definition of the Master Course is based on the experience of European partners and collaboration with local institutions. The master's course facilitates the adaption to recognized needs in Central Asian partners which is reflected through the course structure i.e. modules, and the corresponding learning outcomes, arranged with the use of ECTS credit points. The project meetings were used to discuss the recognition of the learning outcomes at all project partner institutions according to commonly agreed and unique performance equivalents.
In preparation of the recognition of the Master Course curriculum, the courses have to be accredited at some of the partner universities. The corresponding accreditation procedure will be one of the first tasks of the Master Course initialization. The designed master's program is more engineering based than others to facilitate the project objectives and assessed needs. The Master's course will provide a good forum for training and academic debate in Central Asia. The concepts and methods used for this project were successfully implemented to achieve the project's objectives.
References
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MOTIVATION ISSUES OF ARTISTIC STUDENTS TO ENTREPRISE IN THE CREATIVE AND CULTURAL INDUSTRIES (Erasmus + MUSAE
CBHE project)
M. Abdullayeva, U.G. Zunnunova, S. A. Zakirova
Abstract: One of the aims of Erasmus+ MUSAE project is to train enterprise mentors in art education. Teachers trainings gave opportunities to get new knowledge and best experience of European partner universities. Enterprise educator should know the deep mechanisms that keep individual entrepreneurs in the creative and cultural industries motivated in this insecure and fast -paced
