The actions for the preservation of cultural heritage must work on the identity and specificity of the places, paying the utmost attention to the context relationships. The analysis of these elements is fundamental to the recognition of the intrinsic “value” of the building, of the cultural, architectural, and landscape type and of the “value relations” that the building holds with the surrounding context of the social and economic but, above all, cultural and identity type. The methodological approaches defined by the ICOMOS Document of Madrid–New Delhi recognize the identification of the cultural value as a fundamental passage for the promotion of the 20th-century heritage. The contribution analyzes the design process developed by applying the ICOMOS methodology for the preservation of the cultural value of a building complex in Pozzuoli dating back to the early 1900s. The evolutionary history of the different volumes and the configuration of the “modern ruins” give rise to prospective relationships with the local reality that today assume a stronger identity value than that connected to the original project. The different construction techniques used and the state of conservation of the buildings lead to the identifying of different elements of value and, consequently, to the elaborating different design choices.

Retrofitting existing buildings can contribute to both climate change mitigation and adaptation, yet their interaction has received limited attention across several climatic contexts. This state-of-the-art review investigates retrofit strategies for the existing building stock in European climate zones. The screening process followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines and used Scopus as the database, with three researchers independently assessing the retrieved studies. After screening, 118 publications were analysed to identify research trends, while 48 were selected for detailed assessment of adaptation and mitigation retrofit strategies. The findings show that retrofit performance varies with climate and local conditions. For climate-responsive design, passive measures are still central, although their abiding effectiveness often depends on integration with active systems. Therefore, combinations of envelope improvements, solar control, passive cooling, and selected active technologies appear more effective than isolated measures. These strategies may also involve compromises between energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and environmental impact under present and future climates. The review identifies climate-specific relationships between retrofit measures and adaptation–mitigation outcomes. Current research is affected by climate zone coverage imbalance, insufficient attention to climate-induced hazards, and reliance on simulations. Further investigations should strengthen experimental assessment and adopt multi-hazard approaches considering durability, economic feasibility, and vulnerability.