In recent decades, heritage discourse has burst into contemporary architectural debate, not so much out of a concern for conservation, but as a source of opportunities for the project. This shift in focus has evolved in parallel with the expansion of the concept of heritage, driven by various international charters and declarations that have broadened its scope to include tangible, intangible, cultural, and social dimensions. In this context, «adaptive reuse» has gained prominence as an intervention strategy, especially since the 1970s with the energy crisis and the repurposing of industrial buildings. Figures such as Giancarlo De Carlo and the Lacaton & Vassal studio have shown how reuse is not simply a technical operation, but a critical attitude that highlights the cultural significance of what exists.

Adaptive reuse is, therefore, a heritage practice that, from its origins in the reuse of building materials from the ancient world to its theoretical consolidation in the 20th century, has played an important role in the redefinition of material resources: during the Middle Ages, the use of Roman structures represented a functional and symbolic strategy of reappropriation; with the arrival of industrialization and the social changes of the 19th century, reflection on heritage became institutionalized, giving rise to normative criteria for intervening in existing structures; and later, throughout the 20th century, the debate diverged: on the one hand, a movement emerged that instrumentalized history as a formal repertoire, and on the other, a more integrative vision developed that advocates for the cultural and social value of the urban fabric. The latter approach is articulated around the concept of «reuse,» understood not as simple recycling, but as a way to activate and keep inherited architecture alive.

In this sense, the research project TRAHERE (Train Heritage Reuse) examines the case of post-industrial Madrid on the former terraces of the Manzanares River. This initiative, materialized in the exhibition «Entre río y raíles» (curated in 2022-23 by the author in CentroCentro, Madrid), focuses on studying the city’s urban heritage from a critical and transversal perspective, addressing both built and natural heritage. Through cartography, models, interviews, and documentary analysis, the project proposes a reading of the territory that makes visible the processes of urban transformation, highlighting memory gaps and proposing reuse strategies that are sensitive to current social needs. In this sense, heritage intervention ceases to be an exclusively technical act and becomes a tool of resistance against gentrification and uprooting. It also reviews the traditional model of heritage protection, highlighting its limits and contradictions.

Through this same approach, the exhibition «Cronocaos» (curated in 2010 with OMA/AMO at the Central Pavilion of the 12th Venice Architecture Biennale) highlights how many current interventions end up emptying protected buildings, retaining only their envelope as superficial decoration. In contrast, initiatives such as the exhibition «Rehabitar en nueve episodios» (curated in 2010 by the Rehabitar group of the Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña at La Arquería de Nuevos Ministerios, Madrid) advocate an approach focused on uses and the transformation of everyday life, without altering the essence of architecture. This paradigm shift entails understanding heritage not as a collection of untouchable objects, but as a dynamic and living system, whose value lies in both the tangible and intangible.

Ultimately, thinking in terms of adaptive reuse today requires a critical and committed attitude, beyond recycling or superficial conservation. It is a practice that articulates sustainability, memory, inclusion, and culture. In an era marked by precariousness, political opportunism, and excessive consumption, adaptive reuse is presented as a post-production strategy that allows us to inhabit the world in a more conscious, supportive, and creative way. Far from representing a nostalgic solution, reuse is a political and cultural act of prime importance in contemporary architectural and urban debate.