Matteo Robiglio on Adaptive Reuse and Urban Transformation

In an interview with Artribune, architect and researcher Matteo Robiglio discusses his book 'RE–USA: 20 American Stories of Adaptive Reuse', which explores the relationship between architecture, reuse, and the production of new meanings in industrial spaces. The research began with a German Marshall Fund fellowship in 2015, allowing Robiglio and Isabelle Toussaint to travel across the United States. Robiglio argues that the potential for reuse arises when spaces lose their original function, achieving a state of 'neutrality' that allows for reappropriation and new signification. Artistic activities, such as festivals, theater, and artist studios, play a crucial role in initiating these transformations, as seen in Luca Ronconi's 1990s staging of 'The Last Days of Mankind' in the former press room of Turin's Lingotto. Robiglio emphasizes that industrial structures share characteristics: they are iconic, robust, and can accommodate smaller-scale interventions. The process of reuse involves 'decostruction'—disassembling and recombining materials—as practiced by the Rotor collective in Brussels. Robiglio contrasts this with postmodern architecture, noting that adaptive reuse incorporates history through materials rather than through symbolic forms. The book, published by Jovis in 2017, presents 20 case studies from the US.