A study for the enhancement of the religious complex of the Orthodox church of the Annunciation in Nazareth #29098

The Study for the Enhancement of the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth comprises a development proposal for the Annunciation religious complex in Nazareth in Israel, which, with its indoor and outdoor areas, encloses inestimable symbolic and cultural values but is also suffering from the incredible pressure caused by the constant and heavy flow of visitors from the both people of Nazareth and tourists. Consequently, the development approach required combining the preservation of the site with a method to ensure it is compatible with the growing and varied functions it has to satisfy. To achieve this, studies were conducted into the forms, functions and meanings of the various parts of the church and the surrounding urban fabric, and included a survey and graphic representation of the religious complex, identifying the levels of decline and the potential quality that could be expressed by the multiple tangible and intangible values contained in both the complex itself and the surrounding neighbourhood. The analytical results enabled drafting a proposal of project indications addressed to the principles of value, as expressed by Italian legislation regarding cultural assets and by international doctrine (ICOMOS, UNESCO). The project proposals aim at modulating human pressure on the religious complex, while guaranteeing adequate services for inhabitants and tourists alike and an enhanced visibility of the site.

Biography of Michele Culatti
Michele Culatti (Rovigo, Italy, 1969). Graduated in Architecture in 2001 from the IUAV – University Institute of Architecture in Venice, in 2009 he obtained the title of Research Doctor in Engineering with Trento University. Analyst and evaluator of the forms, functions and meanings of urban and territorial fabrics and the works they contain, he mainly concentrates on the external quality of infrastructures. His work is addressed to the interdisciplinary interpretation and evaluation of projects, which involves outlining the correct methods to investigate the complex work-context relations, with special focus on the morphological features of the construction with respect to its use. Of his various works on landscape development, we should mention his special contribution to The Independent Historical and Visual Impact Assessment Report for the Golden Horn Metro Crossing Bridge (Istanbul) and The Assessment of the Insertion in the landscape of the Istanbul Strait Road Tube Crossing Project ‘Eurasia Tunnel’ (Istanbul).