Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1
Title
Stratigraphy as an Adaptive Tool for Building HeritageParallel Reading of Three Ongoing “Adaptive Reuse” Projects
Author(s)
Gino Baldi
Serena Comi
Affiliation
Politecnico di Milano
DOI
https://doi.org/10.65686/FVAO2080
Keywords
Stratigraphy, Young Heritage, Adaptive Tool
PP
114-120
How to Cite
Baldi, Gino, Serena Comi. “Stratigraphy as an Adaptive Tool for Building Heritage Parallel Reading of Three Ongoing “Adaptive Reuse” Projects.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 114–120. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.
Abstract
Can a superficial layer determine the deeper meaning of a project? The epidermal character of an artifact can reveal not only its final appearance but, through its thickness, the modes of relationship between an interior and an exterior. This is by no means a superficial approach. It is an archaeological work carried out within the wall’s cultural thickness. It is an anatomical work, an architectural tomography, a revelation of the most hidden and intimate layers of an artifact. Stratigraphy, understood as a tool for reading and interpreting the built environment, represents an operational key for adaptive reuse strategies. Through three projects involving the rehabilitation of abandoned buildings – examples of a young architectural heritage dating from the mid to late twentieth century – the contribution analyzes the value of stratigraphy as a design tool, interpreting its potential starting from the epidermal level of the building. Each disused structure preserves material and temporal traces which, when critically examined, become active elements of transformation. The three case studies – A House Without a Roof, Legler Cotton Factory, and SAB Bus Depot – demonstrate how design can act upon the different layers of a building, revealing its intrinsic values and defining intervention strategies capable of preserving, reinterpreting, or rewriting the built matter.
Edited by
Andrea Crudeli
Francesca Molle
Emanuele Carrai
Publisher
STH Press, Firenze
ISBN Paperback – 9791281661141
ISBN Ebook – 9791281661158
DOI – https://doi.org/10.65686/SISY7263
Year
2026
Proceedings of
International Conference on Adaptive Reuse
hosted by The University of Pisa, Italy
15-19 September 2025, at the Gispoteca di Arte Antica dell’Università di Pisa.