Enhancing Public ‘Awaiting Reuse’ Architectural Heritage through RECs: the Former Ammunition Depot in Sangano

The research investigates the potential of economic evaluation as a strategic lever for enhancing architectural and landscape heritage in fragile contexts, adopting a life-cycle perspective and integrating it into sustainable regeneration processes promoted by Renewable Energy Communities (RECs). It is assumed that the energy transition can represent an opportunity for local administrations to initiate collaborative governance processes aimed at territorial revitalization, particularly in marginal areas. This study proposes a methodological approach to economically evaluate energy empowerment interventions on underutilized historic buildings and cultural sites awaiting reactivation. At the core of the approach lies Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), employed as a decision-support tool to guide long-term economically sustainable public policies. The methodology has been applied to the Former Ammunition Depot of Sangano (Turin), a decommissioned military site under municipal ownership, lacking specific heritage protection and located within a fragile territorial context with limited resources. Particular attention was devoted to the reuse of public spaces and the design of lighting scenarios, conceived both for the functional and symbolic renovation and enhancement of the site. The economic evaluation, conducted through LCCA, simulated the integration of the complex into a local REC to verify the capacity of energy-sharing models to offset the costs of adaptive reuse, with a specific focus on public space lighting. The direct involvement of the Municipality demonstrated how analytical tools such as LCCA can support multi-level decision-making and foster the transformation of dormant heritage assets into strategic resources for local development.