Roberto Di Giulio is an architect, Phd in "Technology of Architecture" at the University "La Sapienza" in Rome, Full Professor at the University of Ferrara, Department of Architecture, where he teaches Construction Design.
Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Ferrara from 2006 to 2012.
Dean of the new Department of Architecture at the University of Ferrara from 2012 to 2018.
Vice Rector delegate to buildings and properties at the University of Ferrara from 2015 to 2021.
Member of the Administrative Committee and Research Council of the University of Ferrara from 2002 to 2005.
Coordinator of the International PhD programme in "Architecture and Urban Planning".
Within the Department of Architecture, University of Ferrara, he is responsible of the Building Maintenance Laboratory (LEM) and member of the Scientific Committee of the Departmental Centres: DIAPREM (Development of Integrated Automatic Procedures for Restoration of Monuments) and SealineLab (Development of Coastal Systems and Tourist Infrastructures).
His research covers a broad range of issues from studies of materials performances and building design methodologies to investigation of building process management, maintenance strategies and building pathology.
Promoter of WideLine, a spin-off incubated at the University of Ferrara and generated by Sealine, Research Center of the Department of Architecture of the University of Ferrara, in order to provide research and design services for the implementation of strategic studies, feasibility studies, VIA procedures (Environmental Impact Assessment) and VAS (Strategic Environmental Assessment).
Promoter of INCEPTION, a spin-off incubated at the University of Ferrara for the exploitation and marketing of the results of the research project “4CH - Competence Centre for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, funded by the European Commission within Horizon 2020.
His scientific production ranges in various fields of architecture and technology with in-depth analysis in the field of innovation construction technologies, tools and methodologies of architectural design, models of management of the building process.
The topics on which his research activities are concentrated concern in particular:
- evolution of design methodologies within the framework of tools and methods for combining technological innovation and architectural quality;
- models for rationalizing the construction process and innovation of the technical and procedural tools for the control of the quality and energy efficiency of buildings;
- urban regeneration strategies and building renovation;
- methods and technologies for the protection and conservation of cultural heritage.
He has deepened and developed these issues by coordinating and collaborating in research projects funded by public and private bodies, the MIUR and the European Community.
Coordinator (Principal Investigator) of the Research Project "INCEPTION - Inclusive Cultural Heritage in Europe through 3D semantic model" (2015-2019), applied for the Work Programme Europe in a changing world - inclusive, innovative and reflective Societies (Call - Reflective Societies: Cultural Heritage and European Identities, Reflective-7-2014, Advanced 3D modelling for accessing and understanding European cultural assets), selected to be funded by the European Commission, ranking first among 87 proposals.
Scientific coordinator of the Research Project “4CH - Competence Centre for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage, funded by the European Commission within Horizon 2020 (H2020-SC6-TRANSFORMATIONS - Socioeconomic and cultural transformations in the context of the fourth industrial revolution”).
Promoter and chairman of the Cost Action TU0701 "Improving the Quality of Suburban Building Stocks" (2008-2012).
National coordinator of the Research Project (2010-2012) funded by the Ministry of University "PRIN 2008_Renovation, regeneration and valorisation of social housing settlements built in the suburban areas in the second half of last century" which involves the Universities of Bologna, Chieti, Torino and Venezia.
Coordinator of the Italian research group and member of the Technical Committee into the following EC funded research projects:
- Project "BE 4213 - Condition assessment and maintenance strategies for buil-ding and buildings components" funded by the European Community within the Brite Euram Programme [1991/95].
- Project "ARIADNE Access, Information and Naviga¬tion Support in the Labyrinth of Large Buildings" funded by the European Community within the TIDE Programme - Telematics for the Integration of Disabled and Elderly people" [1996/1999].
- Project "BE 4670 - Socio-Technological-Commercial Framework and Decision Support Systems for Building Refurbishment" funded by the European Community within the Brite Euram Programme [1998/2001].
- Project "G1RD-CT2000-00474 - IFD Buildings: Socio-Technological-Commercial Process Model and Supporting Communication/Information System for Design and Delivery of Industrialised, Flexible and Durable Buildings" funded by the European Community within the Competitive and Sustainable Growth Programme - 5th FP [2001/2003].
- Project "NNE5-2001-00263 - EBOB Energy Efficient Behaviour in Office Buildings" funded by the European Community within the 5th FP "Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development" [2002/2004].
- Project "VILLAS - Villas, Stately Homes and Castels: compatible use, valorisation and creative management" funded by the European Community within the INTERREG Programme [2004/2006].
- Project "SuRE-Fit - Sustainable Roof Extension Retrofit for High-Rise Social Housing in Europe" funded by the European Community within the 6th FP "Intelligent Energy" [2006/2008].
- Project "EU-CHIC - European Cultural Heritage Identity Card" funded by the European Community within the 7th FP [2009-2012].
- Project "PROFICIENT - SME network business model for collective self-organised processes in the construction and retrofit of energy-efficient residential districts" funded by the European Community within the 7th FP [started in 2012 - 2016]
- Project "STREAMER - Semantics-driven Design through Geo and Building Information Modelling for Energy-efficient Buildings Integrated in Mixed-use Healthcare Districts" funded by the European Community within the 7th FP [2013 - 2017]
- Project "INSITER - Intuitive Self-Inspection Techniques using Augmented Reality for construction refurbishment and maintenance of energy-efficient buildings made of prefabricated components" funded by the European Community within the Horizon 2020 FP [2014 - 2018].
- Project "P2ENDURE - Plug-and-play product and process innovation for Energy-efficient building deep renovation" funded by the European Community within the Horizon 2020 FP [2016 – 2020].
- Project “DS4CH - Data Space for Cultural Heritage”, (2022-2024), Service Contract CNET/LUX/20212/OP/0070 awarded by the European Commission, following a call for tenders, to a Consortium coordinated by the Europeana Foundation for the implementation of a “Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage [started in December 2022 - in progress].
- Project “5Dculture - Deploying and Demonstrating a 3D cultural heritage space” (2023 – 2025) coordinated by IN2 (DE), funded by the European Community within the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL-2022-CULTURAL-02-HERITAGE) [started 2023 - in progress].
- Project “XRculture - eXplore & Reuse 3D cultural heritage within the Data Space”, coordinated by the Inception spin-off, funded by the European Community within the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL-2023-CLOUD-DATA-AI-05) [started 2024 - in progress].
- Project “3BigDataSpace - 3D Big Data for the Data Space for Cultural Heritage” funded by the European Community within the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL-2023-CLOUD-DATA-AI-05) [started 2024 - in progress].
By the appointment of the Ministry of Scientific Research he has been a member of the Management Committee of the European Commission COST Actions C5 "Urban Heritage - Building Maintenance" and C16 "Urban Building Envelopes".
Coordinator of the research unit at the Department of Architecture of Ferrara into the following national research projects:
- PRIN 2000 "Indici per lo sviluppo di programmi di manutenzione diffusi in edilizia";
- PRIN 2001 "Metodi di garanzia per l'affidabilità della progettazione e della costruzione nelle opere edilizie";
- PRIN 2003 "Controllo dello stress e della promozione della qualità della vita e di operatività in ambienti sanitari".
Roberto Di Giulio has been a member of the Focus Area Cultural Heritage of the European Construction Technology Platform.
He participated as a foreign expert, at the invitation of the Research Center for International Construction and Management of Chongqing University, to a working group in the research and development program "International Cooperation in the Implementation of Industrialized Housing in Chongqing", Chongqing (Republic Chinese People, December 2004).
He wrote several books concerning building technologies, design methodologies and maintenance strategies and published extensively in professional journals and magazines.