Ricardo Agarez awarded an ERC scholarship
Architect and historian of architecture and cities Ricardo Agarez, professor in the Department of Architecture at the University of Évora (UÉ), researcher at CIDEHUS - Interdisciplinary Center for History, Cultures and Societies at the same university and member of the Council of the European Architectural History Network, is the Researcher Responsible for the ReARQ.IB project, winner of a Starting Grant grant from the European Research Council (ERC), in the amount of approximately one and a half million euros (€ 1,499,613.75).
The ERC Starting Grant awarded to Professor Ricardo Agarez is one of six granted in this edition to researchers based in Portugal and one of only three awarded, at European level, to projects in the field of the history of architecture and the built environment. This is also the first time that the ERC has financed a project in this field in Portugal, in any program of the Council (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, Proof of Concept and Synergy Grants) since its creation in 2007, this being the first project awarded by the ERC programs in which the University of Évora is the host institution.
In a context in which the available material and economic resources are increasingly scarce and have to be used rationally, the readjustment and upgrading of existing buildings is a priority in relation to new construction. Understanding the architecture that shapes our daily lives empowers our communities - allows them to make informed decisions about what to maintain, reuse and replace; on how to update and improve their buildings, this is the objective of the ReARQ.IB project “Built Environment Knowledge for Resilient, Sustainable Communities: Understanding Everyday Modern Architecture and Urban Design in the Iberian Peninsula (1939-1985)”, to be developed over five years by an international team led by Ricardo Agarez at the University of Évora.
The European Research Council, created in 2007, is the leading European funding organization for advanced research of excellence. Each year, it selects and supports the best and most creative researchers of any nationality and age, to direct projects based in Europe. The ERC offers four types of main programs: Starting, Consolidator, Advanced and Synergy Grants. With the additional Proof of Concept scheme, the ERC supports projects that aim to bridge the gap between pioneering research and commercialization.
