International observatory and comparative evaluations on urban and architectural heritage: integrated methodologies for a knowledge of the Brescia station

As part of the scientific agreements between University of Rome Sapienza and the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, studies have been developed to deepen the knowledge of the Italian- Argentine architectural heritage through drawing and surveying activities, including the research and teaching experience about the Lombard heritage here reported. In the activity of Visiting Professor, carried out remotely at the University of Brescia in 2020, seminars were organized to clarify the relationships between buildings and architects. Those interactions attest the richness of the Italy/Argentina migration phenomenon. The same experience, repeated in 2024, triggered a reflection on the effectiveness of the inperson activity carried out in Brescia Station Square. In the workshop the students experimented the use of life-drawing as a tool for understanding and researching a common lexicon, which testifies to the existence of a cultural bridge between those countries. They experienced a direct and immersive knowledge experience where the dialogue between observer and urban heritage stimulates and suggests valorization proposals. The results of the study of the city, the urban context and the building, presented in two boards, made it possible to verify through drawing the relationship between the two countries under consideration. Many focus were displayed: historical and socio-cultural moments, argentine references, building qualities and sensorial aspects. Communicative research, conceptual investigation, personal reflections and a global reading were evaluated. Drawing, an important tool for perception, critical analysis and autonomy with respect to computer programs, has a very important role for developing the skills necessary for the training of architects.