A second life for Contemporary Ruins. Temporary Adaptive Reuse strategies of Interior Design to reinterpret vacant spaces

Abstract

The numerous examples of newly constructed disused or unfinished (and therefore unused) buildings represent an important issue in the contemporary era. The significance of these structures is in the impact they have on the environment and on the life of citizens living around them. With the increasing awareness of the shortage of space, resources and structures, this phenomenon has now become an emergency. The goal of this analysis is to identify the role of Interior Design within Temporary Adaptive Reuse strategies geared to benefitting from Contemporary Ruins, preserving their identity and their memory in recent history. The aim of the paper is to envisage new future scenarios based on a creative and holistic Design approach, enabling Contemporary Ruins to become once more accessible and to bring them back to life by imagining how their social and cultural connections could be locally and globally renewed.