Title

Author(s)

Michela Bassanelli

Affiliation

Dipartimento di Architettura e Studi Urbani Politecnico di Milano

DOI

https://doi.org/10.65686/XLCY2396

Keywords

Sites of Perpetrators, Museums of Memory, Interior Reuse

PP

137-144

How to Cite

Bassanelli, Michela. “Adaptive Reuse for Museums on Sites of Perpetrators.” In Proceedings of the International Conference on Adaptive Reuse. Volume 1, edited by Andrea Crudeli, Francesca Molle, and Emanuele Carrai, 137–144. Firenze: STH Press, 2026.

Abstract

The relationship between architecture, memory, and space plays a crucial role in the musealization processes of sites associated with traumatic events of the second half of the twentieth century. Specifically, museums of memory located at so-called sites of perpetrators – such as former prisons, seats of totalitarian power, and concentration and extermination camps – are distinguished by their capacity to transform architecture into a «document». In these contexts, buildings are not merely exhibition display but become integral components of the narrative, embedding within themselves both the tangible and intangible traces of past events. A paradigmatic example of this approach is the case of the Topographie des Terrors in Berlin, noted for its capacity to maintain an indissoluble connection with the memory of the site. Other museum interventions, such as the Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen (2012), demonstrate how architecture can function as a narrative tool and space for collective reflection, mediating between traumatic pasts and contemporary memorial sensibilities. In sites of extermination, the introduction of visitor centers and museum pavilions, designed in dialogue with existing structures, responds to the necessity of welcoming visitors and providing appropriate interpretative tools. These architectures are characterized by an essential formal language, the use of raw materials, and spatial solutions aimed at prompting introspective experiences. From this perspective, the adaptive reuse of memory sites is a cultural act of design that preserves the symbolic significance of spaces, restoring meaning through measured architectural language. Exhibition design thus serves as a narrative instrument capable of activating dialogue between material traces and visitors. Consequently, these museums are not mere repositories of history but experiential spaces wherein memory takes form, and heritage becomes an opportunity for collective reflection.

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.