Qui auget scientiam. Restauro e fruizione ampliata dei Musei delle Scienze Naturali e Fisiche dell’Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II

The complexity of the restoration project includes a difficult process of recognition of values and fragility. It is necessary to mediate wisely between the requests for conservation and the contemporary needs of visit and use. The architectural quality of the addition, the material and figurative compat- ibility between the pre-existence and the possible new grafting, the sensitivity and the ethics of inclu- siveness of the designer, are fundamental criteria for the improvement of the use of a historic building. From these criteria derive the guidelines and management strategies to expand the physical, cultural and cognitive accessibility of the Centro Musei delle Scienze Naturali e Fisiche of the University of Naples Federico II that includes the museums of mineralogy (1801), zoology (1813), anthropology (1881), palaeontology (1932), and physics (1983). Their current configuration is the result of a com- plex process of stratification that first saw the reuse of an old convent for the university function, further complicated by the addition of several buildings that have gradually made difficult the use of museums, in terms of connections and visit. After a precise study of the architectural palimpsest and of the museum installations, it is possible to recover the relationship between the historic university building and the ancient scientific collections, improving the access, the museum paths and the cultur- al entertainment offered by the museums of the University of Naples Federico II. The drafting and adoption of a PEBA (Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers) and precise guidelines for architectural restoration, extended to the recovery of historical museum installations, allows to return the museums to Frederician scholars and the community, enhancing its social impact and extending its cultural scope.