Dismissione e piattaforme offshore: alla ricerca di una nuova identità

The phenomenon of the decommissioning of offshore oil platforms has now taken on considerable proportions. If it is a direct consequence of the gradual depletion of marine hydrocarbon deposits, the most recent causes include the collapse of the price of crude oil and the growing use of renewable energy sources - factors that have led to a decline in investment in mining - but also the obsolescence of structures. The potential environmental risks associated with abandoning this substantial and recognized heritage of industrial buildings are significant and in recent years have provoked a broad critical debate on its future. The most suitable solution appears to be the recovery of these structures and their conversion to new uses and a new life, after an adequate reclamation work. The paper aims to contribute to the reflection on possible scenarios of sustainable reuse of this unique industrial heritage, primarily through the analysis of significant international cases, with particular attention to the Italian reality. The proposals for sustainable reuse include both the submerged part of the platform, which can become a hot spot for marine biodiversity, accessible to underwater tourism, and the emerged part, which can be used to exploit renewable energy sources, or transformed into an eco-sustainable perspective to accommodate scientific research stations, temporary or permanent residences, water parks. The study also aims to highlight the critical issues of the current approach to conversion and illustrates in its general lines a research project on new opportunities for the industrial heritage of the «oil culture», which is proposed as a possible solution to the problem.