Design strategies for the adaptive reuse of decommissioned rural churches. The Case of the Coastal Landscape of Sardinia

This paper presents a doctoral study focused on adaptive reuse strategies for decommissioned rural churches. These buildings, often located in isolated or marginal contexts, exemplify a significant challenge within Europe’s ecclesiastical heritage. The ongoing decline in the liturgical function of many religious complexes has led to their progressive disuse, abandonment, and, consequently, a growing cultural and architectural crisis. The research investigates how these structures, despite the loss of their original religious function, can be reinterpreted and revitalized as active components of the cultural landscape. Adaptive reuse is seen not merely as a conservation tool for the built heritage but as an opportunity to restore meaningful relationships between the architectural asset, local communities, and the surrounding environment. The methodology combines a critical review of specialist literature with a comparative analysis of selected European case studies, with particular emphasis on areas affected by depopulation. The cases are analyzed to identify effective design approaches, reuse strategies, and governance models that reconcile heritage protection with the introduction of new functions. Special focus is placed on architectural and compositional strategies aimed at spatial and functional transformation, landscape integration, and the social impact of the interventions. This study aims to contribute to the theoretical discourse on adaptive reuse while providing practical tools and guidelines for architects, policymakers, and practitioners engaged in the sustainable regeneration of disused religious sites. By adopting an integrated approach that operates at both the scale of the individual building and the broader territorial context, the research proposes a framework in which rural churches can become catalysts for cultural and territorial resilience, fostering sustainable development in contemporary rural settings.