Industrial wastelands: transforming our heritage

This article discusses on the meaning and heritage value of wasteland areas. As ‘contemporary ruins’ they bridge the distance between the past and present and their ‘absent present’ discloses how much abandoned industrial areas are vital and confirm that they are indispensable heritage. Furthermore, this article discusses the responsabilities that architects hold in the transformation of abandoned industrial areas. In fact, the apparent ‘emptiness’ of industrial wastelands lend these sites to modification that often architects interpret as a ‘free ticket’ for experimentation. To illustrate these points, the author uses case studies from Italy and the Netherlands. They show appropriate interventions as well as failures in the recognition and enhancement of the unique characteristics of industrial areas.