Da caserme a università: riconversione e recupero di beni militari dismessi

Military assets constitute a heritage formed mainly between the Unity of Italy and the Second World War. Despite being mainly large closed areas, military settlements were not out of their territorial context, but they were a network system connected to the infrastructure mesh and to civil social and productive fabric. Barracks and other military buildings are characterized by strong seriality (morphological, typological, technological); although typology and technology developed during decades, they still constitute a strongly unitary heritage. Originally built on the edge of historic centres, barracks are now absorbed into urban fabric; this heritage has a strong identity and a prime relevance in townscape. In recent decades, changed international relations and the evolution of defensive systems led to the suspension of compulsory military service, thus to the abandonment of many barracks which play a fundamental role in the rehabilitation of large parts of the city. Given the vastness of settlements, their recovery is very difficult. The examples of already finished reuse testify to the complexity, articulation and duration of necessary operations. Among the civilian destinations (mainly due to public initiative), culture and education – especially at university level – are the most common.