The project of knowledge: the case study of the former convent of the Carmine in Enna

New building processes into the already built environment cannot be planned without a complete understanding of the place on which they are supposed to be undertaken. Therefore, this knowledge process cannot be limited to documentary investigations (albeit necessary), because the analyzed sources often provide only partial answers on the origins, transformations and changing processes of the pre-existing architectural environment. Starting from the assumption that to truly understand a building it is indispensable to do its practical experience, living and walking in (and finally redrawing it), it appears useful to create virtual models whose exploration can provide a better comprehension and an objective representation of the "reality". This paper, based on these principles, focuses on a wide built-up area in search of new functions, located at the hinge between the historic nucleus and the 20th century expansion of a town, Enna, rich in history and culture and intensely committed to renewal.