La 'poetica del silenzio' nel progetto sulle preesistenze. Il restauro del monastero di Carracedo

The contemporary design project of historical architecture often interacts with ancient and new in a dysfunctional way. The approach of conservation can emphasize the ancient through restoring the building to its original state deleting what is more recent, while the approach of innovation can lead to introducing new forms which are unable to communicate with the past.Regrettably both of these two viewpoints do not take into consideration the relationship and the continuity between past and future that a well-done design project should be able to include. On the basis of these premises, this article wants to bring forward a third approach based on the respect of historical architectural ‘values’. An effective example of this direction is the intervention carried out at the monastery of Carracedo in Spain by Salvador Perez Arroyo and Susana Mora Alon-so-Munoyerro.With reference to this project, a critical analysis is conceived, by using a new method which originates from a larger experimental research, whose aim is to look at the design project through the vision of both the architect-designer and the architect-restorer.