Cultural Heritage and Adaptive Reuse as a Contributor to Well-Being

This chapter aims to discuss the dialectic relationship between interior environments of heritage buildings and users and the importance of preserving interior elements as communicators of cultural significance. Today the conservation practice and reuse proposals focus on preserving the architectural envelope of buildings rather than interior aspects. Conversely, interiors need specific safeguard and care, not only due to their cultural significance but also because they are the part most closely connected to the real life of users. In the perspective of cultural conservation, existing buildings represent the continuity of cultural values from the past to the future, and at this point, interior architecture is crucial as it provides an authentic interaction between users and spaces conveying all these values. Therefore, the conservation of interior envelope and interior elements rises as a very important issue to be discussed, affecting the occupant's well-being in a very subjective and sometimes unconscious way (considering the cultural belonging).