SUSTAINIBILITY as “I CARE” Maintenance and sustainability for the Italian-Swiss Centre of Rimini

During World War II, Rimini underwent bombings that destroyed 82% of the old town centre. At the end of 1944, the Swiss Worker Aid undertook the realisation of a first aid centre for the population. Until today this complex still hosts the Italian-Swiss Educational Centre (CEIS), thanks to the technological qualities of the buildings and to constant and sustainable maintenance work carried out with minimal intervention. A research unit from the University of Bologna, in collaboration with the Margherita Zoebeli Foundation, is currently carrying out a study regarding the whole CEIS complex, its buildings and its relationship within an historical and environmental context. The proposed essay is the result of this research, which represents an example of how the word “sustainability” can be interpreted. Our purpose is to interpret the sustainability in terms of “I care” (in the English sense of the word), i.e. respect in the use and maintenance of the existing cultural heritage. The research focuses on the analysis of the functional and material consistence of the barracks, with a specific reference to the effects registered on the indoor microclimate due to the dynamic behaviour of the building envelope and to the fruition of these spaces. Therefore the main aim of the research has been the individuation of those little expedients able to guarantee a sustainable use of the buildings, reducing their deterioration and consequently defining a repertory of (perfectly) sustainable strategies such as, for example, small additions rather than replacements, in order to assure comfort inside each barrack.