Elementary Treatise on Chemistry, Antoine Lavoisier

"Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything changes." 

Lavoisier’s iconic quote, taken from his Elementary Treatise on Chemistry, resonates in a unique way in the field of building rehabilitation and finds a particular echo in the current context of sustainable construction.

Just as Lavoisier described the constant transformation of matter, building rehabilitation embraces the idea that nothing is ever truly lost in our built environment. Rather than demolishing and creating new structures, rehabilitation makes use of existing elements, transforming them ingeniously to meet modern standards while minimizing the carbon footprint.

Lavoisier’s Elementary Treatise on Chemistry, by emphasizing the continuity and inherent transformation of matter, thus finds a compelling application in the philosophy of rehabilitation. It becomes an intellectual guide for rethinking our approach to construction, inspiring a circular and environmentally respectful vision in the way we design, transform, and preserve our built environment.