The reuse of heritage with ‘symbolic value’ and University research.

The revitalisation of religious buildings or monasteries, for the buildings that have lost their original function, shows the problem of their destination to a compatible utilisation. Compatibility may be referred to the material consistency of the building or be extended to the foreseen functions. While compatibility with the material consistency should in any case be the first constraint for any designer who engages with the restoration of ancient buildings, under penalty of the loss of the same consistency that makes them really unique and unrepeatable, the functional compatibility can take different aspects. If compatibility is understood in a broad sense, the new destinations for cultural uses, often attributed to abandoned religious buildings, may be considered sufficient. This factor, combined with the uniqueness of the space they offer, explains why many deconsecrated churches are transformed into auditoriums, libraries, conference rooms, etc. But if we want to recover even the deep spirit on which these buildings were built, and this even in the case of convent buildings, the goal becomes definitely much more difficult to achieve, but in certain situations it can be pursued and least approached. Equally difficult is the problem of the new destination to be given to the commemorative buildings that for various reasons (incompleteness, desire to erase the memory of their original commitment, abandonment) have now lost their original meaning. Again, the attribution of a function corresponding to the modern sensibility seems difficult to pursue, but the alternative between ignoring the problem of abandonment or striving for a balanced recovery with the purpose of an equally well thought refunctionalization lies certainly in favor of this latter. In university research, because of the design freedom inherent in it, we should pursue these ambitious goals, and some examples may indicate the way forward. There is no doubt on the educational importance of researches directed to this aim, also to make clear to forthcoming designers and restorers the feasibility of such choices based on criteria beyond the simple logic of the market, which is often the only one to dictate the choice of new destinations to be assigned to disused complexes.