Alterità e risignificazioni/Otherness and New Signification

This brief contribution explores the theme of architectural transformation of former psychiatric asylums in Italy, buildings constructed between the 19th and 20th centuries and decommissioned since 1978. The research, undertaken in the author's doctoral dissertation, focuses on the potential of these introverted structures, originally designed for separation, to become new spaces through recovery and reconnection with the urban context. The study investigates how, while respecting historical and identity-related memory, these buildings can evolve in response to modern practices of recycling existing structures. The reflection revolves around the concept of the "margin" as a space of transition and flexibility, opposing the rigidity of the original function and form, and how these margins can become unifying elements, allowing permeability and integration with the city. The proposed design approach suggests a reading of the potential for reconnection between asylums and urban fabric, through the conservation and transformation of marginal spaces, seen as places of passage, filtering, and reintegration.