Architectura Temporis Research Centre

01The Problem

The global gap

Step 4 of the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape methodology (2011) — integrating heritage values into real planning — is officially the least implemented step globally. No standardised quantitative protocol exists for executing it in any jurisdiction.

The Montenegro crisis

New regulations require every project in UNESCO-protected zones to receive a formal heritage assessment. Certified specialists are critically scarce. Hundreds of projects are frozen. Investors lose money on loan interest. Political pressure to exit UNESCO protection status is growing.

The language gap

Investors, designers, and regulators operate without a shared operational language. Conflict reproduces itself wherever there is no measurable criterion — and expert opinion alone cannot be verified, compared, or defended in a regulatory context.

The demographic wave

Post-war architecture of the 1950s–70s is passing to third-generation owners without documented knowledge of its value. Tobia Scarpa, 91, is one of the last living masters of that era. Every year without a Chrono-Passport is a year of irreversible knowledge loss.

99%

of a building's real life
remains undesigned

Step 4

HUL — least implemented
step in global practice

standardised intervention types
in AT Impact Matrix v1.0

02Methodology — Chronity Index

0.828

Casa Zamprogno · Tobia Scarpa · 1971 · 55 years later · The building did not age. It ripened.

Chronity Index — CI v5.0

CI = (PI/25 × 0.40) + (AD × 0.35) + (II/100 × 0.25)
PI_raw = A1×1.0 + PMI×2.0 + VQI×1.5 + B2×1.5 + C1×0.75 + C2×0.75
ΔCI = CI_zone(after) − CI_zone(before)

Perceptual Index

Sensory quality: acoustics, patina maturity (PMI), visual quality, light scenario, tactility, olfactory profile. Six parameters with differentiated weights. Protocol: Appendix J.

× 0.40

Authenticity Density

Proportion of authentic Type A and B materials in the visual field. Quantified from project documentation, historical photographs, and CV-based surface analysis.

× 0.35

Integrity Index

Degree of preservation of the historic planning structure. Calculated via GIS overlay of current cadastral data against historical stratigraphic layers.

× 0.25

Material classification — AT Entropy Scale

Patinating natural

Stone, timber, Corten steel, bare concrete with marble aggregate. Value grows with time.

Ageing industrial

Patinated metals, fired brick, terracotta. Age with dignity over decades.

Standard modern

Painted renders, standard glazing, galvanised steel. Neutral temporal trajectory.

Synthetic substitute

PVC, composite panels, synthetic renders. Peak value at T₀; degrades aesthetically with time.

03ACAP — AI Chronity Assessment Platform

ACAP automates the calculation of CI by combining three AI components into a single end-to-end pipeline — from field photographs to a structured PDF assessment report.

📸

Input

Field photos + measurements

→

👁

Computer Vision

SAM 2 + CLIP

→

🗺

GIS Analysis

PostGIS + GeoPandas

→

📄

LLM Report

PDF + ΔCI verdict

Layer 01

Computer Vision
«The Visual Eye»

SAM 2 (Meta) + CLIP (OpenAI) — fine-tuned on AT dataset

Segments facade surfaces. Classifies materials by AT entropy type (A/B/C/D). Detects visual pollution — AC units, PVC windows, signage. Compares current state against archival photographs to compute Authenticity Density (AD).

Layer 02

GIS Integration
«The Time Map»

QGIS + PostGIS + Python (GeoPandas)

Overlays current cadastral data against digitised historical stratigraphic layers. Computes Integrity Index (II) automatically. Checks UNESCO and national heritage registries for Cultural Significance Multiplier (CSM).

Layer 03

Language Model
«The Expert Voice»

LLM — Claude / GPT-4 / Mistral — structured prompt design

Synthesises CV and GIS outputs with researcher's field measurements. Generates structured justification for each CI parameter. Calculates ΔCI for proposed interventions and issues TIA verdict. Human verification mandatory before report issuance.

Temporis Impact Assessment (TIA) — direct realisation of HUL Step 4

ΔCI = CI_zone(after) − CI_zone(before)

If ΔCI ≥ 0 — intervention is admissible.
If −0.05 ≤ ΔCI < 0 — minor reduction; material correction required.
If ΔCI < −0.05 — significant reduction; concept requires revision.
25 standardised intervention types · AT Impact Matrix v1.0 · ATRC 2026

04Field Research

0.828

Chronity Index · Casa Zamprogno · T+55

«The building did not age. It ripened.»

Tobia Scarpa designed for the life cycle, not for opening day. The choice of concrete with marble aggregate, calibrated cantilever overhangs, and Corten steel — all decisions at T₀ that produced deep temporal quality 55 years later.

Object

Villa Casa Zamprogno, Montebelluna, Italy

Architects

Afra and Tobia Scarpa, 1971

Field study

ATRC 2025 · Protocol Appendix J

PI / 25

19.33 (PMI=5, VQI=4, B2=4, A1=4)

0.84 — Type A surfaces dominant

90 / 100 — planning integrity intact

Reliability

PI_verified (A1 instrumentally measured)

Villa Casa Zamprogno — Casa Zamprogno, Montebelluna, Veneto, Afra and Tobia Scarpa, 1971

Casa Zamprogno · Montebelluna, Veneto · Architetti: Afra e Tobia Scarpa · 1971

Facciata Nord

Facciata Sud

Facciate Nord e Ovest

Analytical Document

Chrono-Passport

Casa Zamprogno · CI = 0.828 · T+55 · First issue 2026

View Chrono-Passport →

Pilot study — Herceg Novi · Kotor World Heritage buffer zone

Montenegro represents the optimal scale for the first ACAP pilot. Kotor has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Its buffer zone faces increasing investment and tourism pressure. Three of seven planned CI_zone measurement points have been completed (field work 2025). A partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for full TIA verification in the Kotor buffer zone is currently under discussion.

ATUAT Methodology in Design Practice

2.2

Temporal Tension · Olive Gardens · Herceg Novi

«The building should not be placed on the terraces — it should grow from them.»

Terraced olive groves as spatial syntax. Local limestone and cast stone with mineral aggregate as Kindred materials. Copper details designed to patinate in the Adriatic microclimate. A project where time functions as a building material from day one.

Object

Olive Gardens residential complex · Herceg Novi, Montenegro

Context

UNESCO Boka Kotorska buffer zone · OUV preservation required

Internal Eidos

«Rhythm of Rooted Repose» — Sensory audit Protocol №1

Sensory profile

Optic 5 · Haptic 4 · Kinesthetic 4 · Olfactory 3 · Sonic 2

Material strategy

Type A — local limestone + cast stone · Copper (Type A acceptance)

Reversibility

80–92% · Shadow Gap 50 mm · ICOMOS/UNESCO compliant

TCO forecast

−18–20% over 50 years · Authenticity Premium +40% vs market

ATUArchitectura Temporis Urbanism

ATU is a design doctrine derived from the AT methodology — a framework for developing territory without severing its temporal continuity. Where the Chronity Index measures the temporal quality of existing environments, ATU translates that intelligence into the act of design.

The twentieth century treated the city as a machine.
The twenty-first century increasingly treats it as an ecosystem.
Architectura Temporis Urbanism proposes treating the city as a temporal continuum — a living process in which past, present and future coexist simultaneously.

Theory	Central question
New Urbanism	What should a good city look like?
Landscape Urbanism	How to integrate nature into the city?
Genius Loci	What is the spirit of place?
Smart City	How to deploy technology in urban environments?
Architectura Temporis Urbanism	How to develop territory without severing its temporal continuity?

Fourteen Principles

Temporal Continuity

Every project is a continuation of the place's history — neither its imitation nor its negation. The question is not "does this resemble the old city?" but "does this continue the territory's story?"

Landscape Primacy

Landscape precedes architecture. Topography, climate, water, vegetation and view axes determine the structure of the city — not the other way around. Architecture is embedded in the landscape, not imposed upon it.

III

Layered Identity

The identity of a place is formed by several historical layers simultaneously. No single layer is the only valid one — all are equally real and equally valuable. The designer's task is to read these layers and make the new intervention the next one, not the first.

Spatial Memory

Significant elements of place memory — old roads, stone walls, terraces, water sources, view axes, historical routes — must be preserved or reinterpreted. They become the armature of the project. Not the other way around.

Cultural Resonance

The new environment must resonate with local culture — not copy its forms, but extract its principles. Not "a Montenegrin facade" but "a Montenegrin code": stone plinth, deep shadow, loggias, handling of slope, natural stone. Contemporary architecture — but recognisably belonging to this place.

Local Material Logic

Materials are chosen not only by cost and technical specification — but by cultural connection to place. Local stone, timber, terracotta carry temporal memory that imported synthetic materials cannot reproduce.

VII

Human Scale

Human scale is mandatory regardless of density. Blocks of 300–500 m, everything necessary within 5–10 minutes on foot, active ground floors, a network of streets rather than highways. This is not an architectural style — it is spatial logic.

VIII

Street over Building

Streets, squares, boulevards and parks are designed first — buildings second. This is how Mediterranean cities were built for centuries. Outstanding urban space matters more than outstanding individual objects.

Incremental Growth

The city must develop in phases, not be built as a finished object. Each phase must be self-sufficient and viable independent of the next. Incompleteness is not a defect — it is the normal condition of a living city.

Future Heritage

Every project must ask: what of what is created today will be considered heritage in 100 years? Material choice, spatial logic, detail — all must pass through this filter. Chronity does not arise by itself — it is designed.

Authentic Continuity

Not imitation of history — continuation of history. The difference is fundamental: imitation creates scenery, continuation creates the next layer of genuine environment. A new building in a historic context should not pretend to be old — it must be honest but belonging to the place.

XII

Social Memory

Memory is stored not only in stone — it is stored in habits, routes, markets, festivals and public life. Designing street naming, local festivals, community gardens and cultural itineraries from day one is not marketing — it is creating memory in advance.

XIII

Adaptive Evolution

The city must not be a finished work. It must be capable of changing, being added to and reinterpreted by each succeeding generation. Excessive regulation kills natural development just as its complete absence does.

XIV

Belonging

The primary measure of environmental quality is not beauty, density or property value — but the capacity for people to say: "This is my place." People do not buy architecture. They buy the sense of belonging. Architecture is merely the instrument for creating it.

05Roadmap — 36 months

Validation & Dataset

Months 1–12 · TRL 2 → 3

Complete CI_zone measurements in Herceg Novi (7 points)
Inter-expert reliability test (ICC ≥ 0.75)
Digitise Ilyanic stratigraphic layers in QGIS
Build structured photo dataset (500+ images, 10–15 objects)
Register ATRC NGO; file grant applications
Patent consultation · Architectura Temporis™ trademark

AI Prototype

Months 12–24 · TRL 3 → 5

LLM prototype: manual input → PDF report (Month 12–13)
Annotate 500 photos; fine-tune SAM 2 + CLIP on AT dataset
Integrate CV + GIS pipeline
First end-to-end test: photo → CI report (Month 17–20)
Field validation on Herceg Novi and Kotor objects
Academic publication of verification results

Scale

Months 24–36 · TRL 5 → 7

Domain adaptation: Croatia, Greece, Italy, Portugal
API for permit-issuing system integration
SaaS subscription model for architects and bureaux
Pilot contracts with 2–3 municipalities
AT researcher certification programme
UNESCO HUL Step 4 institutional recognition

Total programme budget (preliminary)

€ 280 000 – 790 000

Horizon Europe · SNF · UNESCO/ICOMOS · National funds
Figures subject to revision after partner negotiations

Academic validation

EAAE Cagliari · August 2026

Session UN-Build · Abstract #42 accepted without revisions
Paper: «Time as the Right Measure»

06About ATRC

Architectura
Temporis
Research Centre

Independent Non-Profit Research Organisation · Est. 2024

ATRC is founded in Herceg Novi, Montenegro to develop the first reproducible quantitative methodology for measuring temporal quality in historic environments — and translating this measurement into actionable tools for architects, heritage authorities, and investors working in regulated historic zones.

The AT methodology extends the classical Vitruvian triad (Firmitas, Utilitas, Venustas) with a fourth pillar: Tempus. Time is not a threat to architecture. It is a building material that requires its own design language, tools, and documentation.

ATRC operates at the intersection of architectural research, environmental psychology, and geospatial analysis — bridging the gap between phenomenological intuition and verifiable urban science.

info@architecturatemporis.com architecturatemporis.com

FoundedAutumn 2024 · Herceg Novi

MethodologyAT v5.0 · CI v5.0 · TIA v2.0

Intervention types25 — AT Impact Matrix v1.0

Field researchHerceg Novi · Kotor · Montebelluna

Team3 researchers · Architecture · Psychology · GIS

UNESCOPackage submitted via Ambassador Ponorac

Legal statusNGO registration in progress

Contactinfo@architecturatemporis.com

Research Team

Sergei Tatarnikov

Founder · Principal Researcher

Architect and independent researcher. Author of the AT methodology, Chronity Index, TIA protocol and ACAP platform concept. Field research in Herceg Novi, Kotor buffer zone and Casa Zamprogno (Italy). Paper accepted at EAAE Cagliari 2026, Abstract #42.

ORCID 0009-0004-4519-8572 · info@architecturatemporis.com

Branko Tomanović

Architect-Engineer · Montenegro Consultant

Licensed architect-engineer with extensive practice in Montenegro's historic zones and regulated environments. Provides expert consultation on local architectural heritage standards, building regulations, and the application of AT methodology in the Montenegrin and Adriatic context.

Anna Shaub-Tatarnikova

Psychologist · Phenomenology Researcher

Specialist in environmental psychology and the phenomenology of inhabited space. Researches the psychological impact of historic environments on human perception, wellbeing, and ontological security. Contributes to the sensory audit protocols (Appendix H) and the neurological foundations of the Perceptual Index (PI).

MEASURING
THE VALUE
OF TIME

Direct contact

Partnership opportunities

MEASURING THE VALUE OF TIME

Direct contact

Partnership opportunities

MEASURING
THE VALUE
OF TIME