Critical Survey

Since the 1960s, EPFL has continued to study anonymous architecture through the active process of architectural surveying. This in-depth research has been inherited by LAPIS, which has since contributed to its development and dissemination. Through systematic research in the field, the laboratory aims to develop new synergies between automatic digital survey methods and those of artisanal drawing, for both rural Alpine buildings and ‘delicate artefacts’. Once documented, these buildings will be geo- referenced and organised according to morphological, typological and constructive criteria in an interactive and evolving database — a palimpsest devised through analogy. The project encourages a critical awareness of the choices involved in transforming the territory, by means of tools designed for all those involved in the construction and conservation of the Alpine landscape. The promotion of ‘lesser knowledge’ as a cultural horizon by planning, development and heritage control institutions is a key element in the sustainable development of the region.