Adaptive Reuse of Religious and Sacred Heritage: Preserving Material Traces and Spirit of Place

The theme of adaptive reuse, of great topicality for those who deal with built heritage, has its roots in the recent past, dating back to the end of the last century, when the problem of reuse proved to be competitive, for economic and cultural reasons, with respect to total demolition and reconstruction. Since then, various disciplinary and methodological approaches have been confronted with theories and methods of intervention, on an ever-expanding cultural heritage. This article offers a research perspective, with application of a case study of particular relevance to the city of Genoa, Italy. Adaptive reuse, in the text, is specifically dedicated to religious and sacred heritage that has lost its original function but has retained material traces and intangible values. The methodological approach, shared by several European architectural schools, is multi-disciplinary in nature and stems from the need to preserve material traces but, at the same time, preserve the spirit of the place, according to what is defined by the international community. The methodology and results are applied to the enhancement and reuse work for the former Genoa University Library, formerly the church of the Genoese Jesuit College (17th century).