| Popis: |
In the wake of deindustrialisation, Italy too has been affected by the significant phenomenon of the closure of industrial plants and facilities, which in some ways has marked the end of an era. Physical evidence of past industrial activity was at first considered to be an obstacle to the development of areas and therefore to be removed. It was only at the end of the 80s of the last century that a more widespread interest in the protection of old factories was aroused. Three themes will be examined in the course of this article. First of all, an attempt will be made to identify the time frame of reference of the Italian industrial heritage, so as not to exclude past experiences of productive organization that anticipated the modern factory system. The second theme is the different methodologies of recovery and conversion of old work spaces into spaces for new activities. The characteristics of the industrial heritage require different methods of intervention, among which exemplary restoration is only one of the possible solutions. More often it is the task of the project to find the right balance between conservation and transformation in the rehabilitation of industrial buildings. The third theme concerns the role of industrial heritage in urban regeneration programmes. In order to be fully appreciated, this role requires a higher level of vision, a focus not on individual interventions but on the benefits that an entire district or city can gain from an integrated rehabilitation of its industrial heritage. |
