An integrated framework for sustainability-driven adaptive reuse of at-risk modern architecture in Argentina

The conservation of twentieth-century architecture in peri-urban and natural contexts poses significant challenges, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions where emerging buildings lack formal recognition and protection. In Argentina, many modern structures of cultural and social value are therefore exposed to abandonment and transformation. In this scenario, documentation and design-based approaches are essential to support informed and sustainable interventions. This paper presents an integrated framework combining territorial analysis, digital documentation, and sustainability assessment, applied and tested through the exploratory case study of the former Hotel San Miguel in Salsipuedes (Córdoba Province). The methodology integrates Mobile Laser Scanning and UAV photogrammetry to generate a comprehensive three-dimensional knowledge base supporting both heritage interpretation and project development. Sustainability considerations are incorporated through the transversal application of the GBC Historic Building protocol, employed as an ex-ante decision-support framework rather than as a certification objective. The results demonstrate how the integration of digital documentation, contextual analysis, and sustainability assessment can support adaptive reuse processes while balancing heritage conservation, environmental performance, and contemporary functional requirements.Although tested on a single case study, the proposed framework offers a structured and potentially transferable methodological approach for addressing vulnerable twentieth-century heritage in rapidly transforming territorial contexts.