This paper addresses the didactic approach related to the specific theme of industrial heritage applied within the diploma projects at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning in Timisoara, developed within the Reuse unit during the academic year 2022-2023. The last year of academic curricula comprises the development of the theoretical approach of the diploma in the first semester, with input from a group of teachers within the Reuse unit, followed by the development of the diploma in the second semester, where students rely on a 1:1 dialogue with a single teacher that serves as the coordinator. The didactic approach described within the paper follows the activities during both last semesters, based on the activities of two of the teachers of the Reuse unit that collaborated within the industrial heritage subunit.

The subject of the diploma represents the student’s own choice, based on some criteria such as: the pre-existence of any kind of former industrial activity regardless of the time period in which it was carried out; the site should not have been the subject of a prior architectural design in the contemporary period; it should be accessible for students for visiting and carrying out surveys ; the local authorities and/or the current owner should be open to a minimal dialogue in relation to possible strategies. All diplomas were developed on relevant historical sites located within Romania, most of them being in an extreme state of disrepair, showing the sensitivity and openness of the students to relevant contemporary subjects. Specifically, the developed subjects targeted different former industrial sites developed between the 19^th and 20^th century: rehabilitation of historic railway stations and their proximity infrastructure developed mostly during the 19^th century in Anina, Oravița, Bocșa Montană and Caransebeș, and the reconversion of a complex comprising of a former hydroelectric plant and a tower for feeding a former furnace from Bocșa Montană developed during the 19^th century (the Mountainous Banat region); the adaptive reuse of hydrotechnical heritage and of the former rice husking mill constructed in the 19^th century in Banloc, and the re-functionalization of the former vinegar factory complex from Margina which is an industrial site containing a worker’s colony developed during the 19^th century (the Banat plain region); the re-functionalization and urban reintegration of the dispersion furnace within the former Phonix complex in Baia Mare, a socialist industrial site developed during the 20^th century (the north of Transylvania region).

The approach follows a stratified discourse, containing both theoretical and practical elements. It includes context research carried out on different scales, architectural survey and material research, while simultaneously tackling contemporary theories and concepts regarding the built heritage (including adaptive reuse), methodologies of operating within historical contexts and the development functional strategies in order to consolidate a best adapted approach for the specific sites. The diplomas manage to establish complex strategies in relation to the former industrial sites, each highlining specific problematics related to industrial heritage.

The paper presents the outline of the approach, its main objectives, the main results of the diplomas while also presenting the struggles of both teachers and students in relation to the relevant topic of industrial heritage. The endeavour is to develop a set of specific skills and a sense of awareness of the students in understanding and operating within the domain of industrial heritage, preparing them as future young professionals.

Keywords: architecture design, diploma, industrial heritage, historical context, adaptive reuse