Sertec Engineering celebrates Andrea Gian Maria Gillone’s academic achievement
Sertec Engineering Consulting is proud to announce that Andrea Gian Maria Gillone has earned his PhD, successfully defending his doctoral thesis on Friday, June 26, entitled “The Terrestrial Architecture of Long-Distance Cycle Routes.”
A research project born from collaboration between industry and academia
The research is the result of a collaboration agreement between Sertec Engineering Consulting, Politecnico di Torino, and DAD – Department of Architecture and Design, bringing together academic expertise and professional design experience to explore an increasingly relevant topic: the planning and design of cycle tourism infrastructure.
Gillone’s work proposes a new perspective on cycle routes, no longer understood solely as functional infrastructure for bicycle travel, but as genuine architectures of the territory, capable of enhancing the landscape, architectural, and socio-cultural qualities of the places they cross.
The cycle route as a tool for understanding the territory
A key aspect of the research is the shift in perspective it proposes: the cycle route is no longer simply a mobility infrastructure, but also becomes a tool for understanding the territory — a means of interpreting, narrating, and reconnecting the places along its path, restoring identity and value to the landscapes and communities it traverses.
An investment in know-how and applied research
For Sertec Engineering, this research journey represents a valuable contribution to the development of the company’s internal know-how and confirms its ongoing commitment to building strong links between academic research and real-world design practice, fostering continuous innovation and dialogue with the academic community.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks go to the supervisors who guided and supported the research journey: Professors Riccardo Palma and Chiara Lucia Maria Occelli of Politecnico di Torino, and Lorenzo Vignono, Commercial Director of Sertec Engineering.
“Without the support of Sertec and Politecnico di Torino, achieving this milestone would not have been possible. Thanks to them, I have gained a broad and multidisciplinary range of knowledge and skills. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to my colleagues, whose support helped make this research journey lighter and easier to undertake.”
A.G.M. Gillone
