Sustainable Strategies for the Adaptive Reuse of Religious Heritage: A Social Opportunity

Abstract

The legacy of built heritage is one of the most critical questions of our time—the objective of preserving its immaterial values and exploiting its original vocation brings about challenges related to the history, the identity, and the quality of life of the concerned territory. This especially applies to religious buildings given their strong bond with collective memory. The aim of this research is to determine whether allocating new uses that pursuit social benefits for the community is a possible implementation of the aforementioned purposes and whether it better addresses a broader view of sustainable development, which encompasses equity and well-being. The methodology combines careful knowledge of the building, comparing residual performances of the fabric with new functions. We present a case study, with focus on healthcare-related accommodation facilities and the issue of healthcare migration, which aims to convert a dismissed capuchin convent, located in Villagonia (Taormina, Italy), into a shelter house to host families whose relatives are being treated at the neighbourhood medical centre. This proposal shows that heritage buildings, especially religious ones, have outstanding material and immaterial potential and, through good reuse practices, they provide a valuable opportunity to address the overarching objective of social sustainability.

The importance of heritage conservation in architectural education at university level

“…Theoretical knowledge of general principles of conservation research and design is presented during a compulsory lecture, a seminar on the theory and history of architecture, and an urban and architectural project [30]. The latter includes revitalization of the historic quarter of buildings, renovation of the historic building (with the assumption of limiting interference with the valuable substance to those necessary for its survival and proper functioning), and the architectural and conservation project of the new building implemented in the historic environment [31,32]. It is assumed that in the end, together with other large design classes carried out at the 2 nd degree of studies, it should provide all graduates with the basics of knowledge about the valorization of historical architecture, which is implemented on the basis of the sustainable architecture assumptions [33].…”

The Extraction of Prerequisite Criteria for Environmentally Certified Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings

“…Adaptive reuse of cultural heritage, as a significance of conservation, expresses the rehabilitation, redevelopment, and retrofit of HB that reveals the changing community needs [16]. By considering local needs and enhancing and conserving built heritage value, a broad range towards sustainable development has been enlightened [17]. This study contains qualitative research methods.…”

“…Various scholars defined several value types attached to cultural heritage. Such types of value were presented with associated terminology, such as historical, socio-economic, symbolic, age-related, architectural, educational, contextual, aesthetic, and emotional [16,17,21,33,[44][45][46][47] The Burra Charter stated that adaptation is acceptable only where the adaptation has minimal impact on the cultural significance of the place, and minimal changes to the significant fabric should take place after considering alternatives [34]. Experts in adaptive reuse have been assessing reuse capability of heritage buildings according to related models since 1979 in the Burra Charter, Australia.…”

“…Environmental sustainability has been analysed for years to provide support for the environment considering limitations in energy and use of green design strategies [93]. Heritage buildings also need to be preserved as they provide significant knowledge of the past and present for future generations [15,17]. Ecological sustainability of heritage buildings has become a more concerning issue, and it needs to be a sensitive element of the process.…”

A Creative Living Lab for the Adaptive Re-use of the Morticelli Church: the SSMOLL project

“…to ensure their sustainability and preservation (Table 1). The results of the survey show how religious goods still play a crucial role in the life of contemporary cities [31] and how they are considered "special" because of their cultural and social importance, with the high spiritual significance that binds them exceptionally to the territory and the local community [35].…”