IMMAGINARE IL REUSO. PREVISIONI DAGLI ARCHIVI DI ARCHITETTURA IMAGINING THE REUSO. PREVISIONS FROM ARCHITECTURAL ARCHIVES

The regeneration of existing buildings is an increasingly widespread and necessary practice in the contemporary urban context, particularly in cities now characterised by high complexity. Often, what has been built represents only one of the proposals considered during the design phase. Thus, the material preserved in architectural archives can serve as a source for uncovering the intangible heritage of ideas linked to unbuilt projects. These projects reflect the debates and social dynamics of their time, showcasing political visions tied to the preservation and protection of places. The analysis of unbuilt projects—whether from public competitions or public engagement activities—reveals hypotheses that were never concretely implemented but can now help assess the success of the choices that were made. In this paper, we explore the urban redevelopment proposal by the ABDR studio for the Crypta Balbi area in Rome. Through graphic analysis and a three-dimensional reconstruction of the project and its immediate urban context, we virtually ‘recover’ the ideas of the ABDR studio. At the same time, these ideas are made more accessible through the production of new content that, by integrating the limited available documentation, enhances their understanding, visualisation, and impact simulation—ultimately enriching their appreciation.