Reuse and the Dialectics of Built Space

written by Sonja Ifko

 

To reuse something that has lost its primary function is logical in the developmental sense. Recycling something that has been discarded, from waste and automobiles to water and energy is a constant in today’s world and the basis for permanently oriented development. And this certainly includes modified or reused buildings, as their modification is one of the oldest forms of recycling in the world. New situations either introduce a new programme into unchanged shells or the new use of the primary structure changes it completely. The small village of Lucca and its amphitheatre, which in new circumstances has become the core of the town’s planning, gives an excellent illustration of the range of variability of use.