Experiencing Heritage’s Values. Two Awareness-Rising and Site-Specific Temporary Exhibitions in Changsha, China

The analysis of the case studies of two adaptive reuse workshops’ exhibitions staged in 2019 in the city of Changsha and aiming for the temporary re-activation and re-interaction of two very different historical buildings is the starting point for considerations about the problem of the awareness-raising for fragile heritage’s preservation. How can temporary design, interactive design and curated storytelling engage society and stakeholders in discovering minor heritage values and adaptive reuse possibilities to re-imagine heritage’s future? This essay will try to contribute toward this vast topic by verifying the goals, the procedures, the realisation and the positive repercussions of two successfully staged case studies while possibly introducing an innovative approach to Adaptive Reuse Design featuring User-Centred strategies, whose main aim is to balance both Conservation and Innovation issues through a problem/opportunity methodological approach.