Towards an Architecture of Upcycling?

This essay is the introduction to the volume “Upcycling Architecture in Italy since 1945”, which presents the outcomes of the research project “Upcycling Architecture in Italy” (PRIN 2022 PNRR). Forging and Promoting a Renewed Building Culture. The book investigates upcycling as a distinctive form of material reuse within Italian architecture from the postwar period to the present, framing it as a critical alternative to the relentless production of the new and as a strategy for generating added value through existing matter. Closely connected to the concept of Design for Disassembly (DfD), the study adopts a historiographical and design-oriented approach to reinterpret Italian architectural culture since 1945. Through archival research, theoretical reflection, and selected case studies, the volume traces explicit and latent practices of reuse across reconstruction, industrialization, modern and postmodern design, and contemporary circular-economy debates. Challenging dominant narratives centered on destruction and renewal, the book reveals a multifaceted architectural modernity shaped by assembly, disassembly, spolia, and component-based thinking. Organized into five thematic sections, it offers an alternative historical framework and critical insights for contemporary upcycling practices and experimental approaches to preservation.