La conservación y reuso de lo inmaterial: el caso de los hospitales cruciformes

Re-use is necessary in order to preserve a historic building and ensure its future. However, there are constructions whose essence goes beyond the material and focus on the spatiality surrounded by the physical presence. In those cases, the new use should be adapted to the existing environment, respecting not only the materiality, but also the intangible reality of the historic building. The proposed case study corresponds to the 15th/16th-century cruciform hospitals, where the interior space played an essential role between symbolism and rationality. Through the historical study of the cases and their corresponding rehabilitation and reuse projects, it will be demonstrated that not all possible uses are suitable to be housed in any historical architecture. Cultural activities, museums, libraries or archives are some of the most appropriate practices for this type of buildings. On the one hand, these uses would preserve the pre-existence and respect the interior environment, in addition to the spatial and visual connections -essential value of the cruciform hospital-; on the other, they would directly involve the society, promoting the access to the public and therefore giving continuity to the collective memory of the building.