Redevelopment and Sustainability. Scenarios for the Reuse and Conservation of Historical Prisons

Among the actions to achieve the objectives set by the European Union in the "Fit for 55 Package" which sets a target of reducing net emissions of climate-altering gases by 55% by 2030, includes the EPBD Directive, with the aim of identifying and redevelop buildings with inadequate energy performance. The architectural assets subject to protection restrictions and the "complexes of immovable things that make up a characteristic aspect having an aesthetic and traditional value" remain outside the scope of application. In Italy, most of the historic buildings fall under this definition and among these the now abandoned prison structures, characterized by very high historical and architectural value but often left unused, spread practically throughout the national territory. Several local authorities introduced rules and prescriptions for the energy efficiency of the envelope into their regulations, but these remain applications limited to the local context, unable to give a universally valid procedure for the vast cultural heritage. The sporadic initiatives carried out up to now constitute a valid testimony on the possibility of overcoming the problems connected to the change in the use of the existing building. Starting from these successful cases, and not only at a national level, this research aims to provide a methodology for analyzing the existing and the today available “bacs”, to support the design process for the reuse of these historic buildings. The proposed approach is based on environmental sustainability and tries to highlight those design choice parameters capable of solving the problems of integration with historical construction materials and ancient techniques constructive, overcoming the gap between the needs of the historical buildings and the available solutions.