ReUso 2025
Marginal territories_ Heritage at Risk
Documentation | Restoration | Regeneration | Sustainability
Pescara 29th-31st October 2025
The concept of reuse, defined as the renewed use of something that can continue to be used, whether or not retaining its original functions or adding new ones, is a pivotal topic in contemporary architectural culture.
Among the objectives of the 2030 agenda Goal 11.4, which aims to strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard world’s cultural and natural heritage, is a key reference point for stimulating the conference’s discussions.
The recovery of building structures, degraded areas, urban and environmental contexts, seen from the perspective of safeguarding architectural and environmental heritage and promoting social and cultural inclusion, align with the principles of a circular economy of the tangible and intangible heritage in marginalized territories.
Based on these premises, knowledge and documentation of heritage become the indispensable foundation for guiding conservation, restoration and regeneration, re-examined with the priority objective of reuse for sustainability. In this sense, reuse can constitute a methodology for the preservation, valorization and sustainable regeneration of fragile and at-risk contexts, where the most advanced digital technologies can offer useful innovative approaches.
The ReUso conference is an annual, itinerant event bringing together scholars, professionals and researchers to discuss the preservation and enhancement of the existing heritage. The name was conceived as a concise expression of ‘restoration’ and ‘use’ – a binomial that intertwines history, restoration and contemporary vitality in a continuous symbiotic manner – and connotes a protection action based on the interdisciplinary contribution of different fields of knowledge in order to preserve the existing.
Editions
The first edition took place in Madrid in 2013, the following ones in:
2014 Firenze
2015 Valencia
2016 Pavia
2017 Granada
2018 Messina
2019 Matera
2020 Firenze online (Toledo Seminar 2020)
2021 Roma
2022 Porto
2023 Caceres
2024 Bergamo
The 13th edition of the ReUso conference will take place in Pescara and will be organized by the Department of Architecture (DdA) of the University ‘G. d’Annunzio’ Chieti_Pescara, in collaboration with the Departmen of Civil, Construction-Architectural and Environmental Engineering (DICEAA) of the University of L’Aquila.
Purposes
As usual, the conference aims to stimulate scholarly discussion on issues related to the conscious and sustainable reuse of built and landscape heritage. This will be based on a rigorous and accurate knowledge and documentation project, essential for understanding and preserving the historical memory of places and architectural and environmental heritage.
The Abruzzo region, which will host the conference in 2025, features a unique orography. It rapidly descends from the Apennine chain towards the sea, encompassing major urban centers alongside a constellation of minor historical centers. However, recurring seismic fragility, marginality, and depopulation pose significant risk factors that must be considered within this context.
The territory itself is highly diverse in its environmental makeup. It was recently affected by earthquakes in 2009 and 2016, and also faces ongoing hydrogeological challenges. These factors, coupled with intrinsic vulnerabilities, necessitate complex, integrated, and wide-ranging multidisciplinary studies, approaches, and projects.
The conference aims to be a nexus for investigating and comparing the problems faced by multiple territorial realities. Case studies will be drawn from both Italian and international contexts, focusing on investigative themes conducted through surveys, historical-critical analyses, methodologies, and scientific diagnoses. These efforts will ultimately contribute to operational solutions that preserve and safeguard the values and unique characteristics of each specific cultural heritage.
The challenge lies in transmitting this acquired knowledge to future generations of architects and engineers. We aim to encourage their active participation and engagement in the conference’s core themes. This will involve building upon existing knowledge and exploring future perspectives and technical innovations, both within academic discourse and professional practice.
