The principle of reusing and transforming what already exists has taken hold today. In addition to the cultural imperative of keeping the city’s traditional fabric alive and active, there are also reasons of sustainability. Adaptive reuse is no longer limited only to buildings of monumental character and great historical value. Reuse also extends to buildings of more modest character and conformation located in peripheral or suburban areas. These reuse operations prioritize the real needs of users and show a growing attitude of responsibility towards the built and consolidated environment. This paper will reflect on the challenges presented by the broad, extensive and diffuse framework of adaptive reuse that develops project instruments from the city center to the urban peripheries and rural areas.
Ignacio González-Varas Ibáñez is a historian, professor and essayist, professor of Architectural Composition at the Toledo School of Architecture, University of Castilla-La Mancha. He received the XI Premio Internacional de Ensayo Siglo XXI from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México y Sinaloa and the Editorial Siglo XXI for his workThe ruins of memory. Ideas and concepts for an (im)possible theory of cultural heritage. (Mexico City, Siglo XXI, 2014). He has also been awarded the Archivo Hispalense de Sevilla Prize for his monograph on the Cathedral of Seville. He is the author of several reference books on the topics of aesthetics, art and heritage. Among the most recent titles areThe beauty of the ruins(in press),An introduction to architecture(Madrid, Cátedra, 2025).The cult of memory. Ethics and aesthetics (Madrid, Cátedra, 2023);Toledo, the convent city (Madrid, Munilla-Leria, 2023);Palaces of Spain (Madrid, La Esfera de los Libros, 2022);Conservation of cultural heritage. Theory, history, principles and standards.(Madrid, Cátedra, 2018); or.Cultural heritage: concepts, debates and problems (Madrid, Cátedra, 2016). He has also developed a facet as a novelist, having received the I Prize of the International Contest of Historical Novel “Héroes del Dos de Mayo” forThe unfortunate infant (Rubeo-Tugia, 2024), and with other titles such asThe Crown of the City oThe roar of the lion rampant.