Thermodynamic Recharges : intervention strategies on industrial heritage from thermodynamic criteria

In a world increasingly affected by climate change, this research introduces the concept of Thermodynamic Recharge: an alternative approach to intervening in the built heritage. Unlike conventional intervention criteria, it proposes the recovery and revaluation of heritage from a thermodynamic perspective, reclaiming climate, memory, and material culture as key tools in the process.

Given the diversity of existing built heritage, the study focuses on industrial heritage, seeking to answer how it can be reimagined through a thermodynamic condition. Throughout the process, a series of environmentally driven intervention strategies are revealed, offering ways to project onto this specific type of heritage and, ultimately, onto built heritage of any kind—achieving transformation at all levels: from energy performance to function, as well as aesthetics, spatial qualities, and symbolic value.

Thus, the research is conceived as a speculative, holistic, and design-oriented thesis that advocates for an alternative and sustainable model of intervention in existing architecture. The proposed strategic catalogue is presented as a kind of toolbox, available to anyone interested in approaching architectural design through a lens that is respectful and attentive to both the environment and history.