LAND(E)SCAPE

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN BROADEN MY KNOWLEDGE ON COMPETITIONS IN THE ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT AND EXPAND IT IN A TEORETICAL AND CRITICAL WAY. I CONCEIVE IT AS A STRATEGICALLY MADE EXCERCISE AND AN IMPORTANT LINK TO MY POST-ACADEMIC FUTURE WORK.

BY SIMULATING A COMPETITION AS THE ENGINE OF MY MASTER THESIS, I AM TRYING TO FIND SOME METHODS APPLICABLE TO THE FUNDAMENTAL TOPICS IN THE ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE:

(1) THE PROFUND KNOWLEDGE OF A TERRITORY AT VARIOUS LEVELS, (2) THE MEANING OF SITE-SPECIFIC DESIGN AND THE RESPECT OF THE CONTEX AND (3) THE CONSEQUENCES OF PLACES’ ABILITY TO INFLUENCE INSTINCTUAL BEHAVIOUR ON THE DESIGN. AS THERE ARE SPECIFIC LIMITS AND DIMENSIONAL PARAMETERS REQUIRED FROM THE COMPETITION, THE PROJECT STARTS BY CONSIDERATING THEM IN RELATION OF THEIR SPATIAL, FUNCTIONAL AND ENERGETIC CONSEQUENCES. THE THESIS INVOLVES A SPATIAL AND SOCIOECOLOGICAL PROJECT THAT IS BOTH AN URBAN REDEVELOPMENT, AND AN ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL PRACTICE GENERATED BY CREATING RECIPROCAL RELATIONS BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE, HUMANS, AND LANDSCAPE.

THE RESEARCH PROJECT IS A PRODUCT OF CRITICAL INVESTIGATIONS AROUND ARCHITECTURE, CREATIVE PRACTICE AND ANALYSIS ON THE TERRITORY DEVELOPED OVER A YEAR. IT IS BUILT ON A TRANSDISCIPLINARY METHOD THAT STRAYS FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE: THE PROJECT IS DEVELOPED CRITICALLY AND CREATIVELY THROUGH A INTERSCALAR APPROACH. THE PROCESS TAKES PLACE THROUGH FOUR DIFFERENT ALTITUDE POINTS, FROM WHICH THE ENTIRE LOGICAL DEVELOPMENT CAN BE OBSERVED AT DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS. ONE CAN THUS PERCEIVE ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TERRAIN IN WHICH IT INTERSECTS, THE AREA WITH WHICH IT INTERACTS AND THE TERRITORY THAT SURROUNDS IT.

THE FOUR ELEVATION POINTS THEREFORE BECOME MACRO THEMES WITHIN THE THESIS RESEARCH AND ASSUME THE IDENTITIES OF: GEOGRAPHY, GEOMETRY, FORM AND LOGIC. EACH CORRESPONDS TO A UNIT OF MEASUREMENT AND TOGETHER THEY FORM A FUNDAMENTAL HIERARCHY THAT DEFINES THE COMPLETENESS OF THE PROJECT.

THE PROJECT INVESTIGATE THE FUTURE OF THE EXAMINED SITE LOCATED IN THE TOWN OF ALMADA – IN THE METROPOLITAN REGION OF LISBON, THAT IS AFFECTED BY THE SPATIAL EFFECTS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC PHENOMENA OF THE SOUTH BOUND OF LISBON - THE OUTCOME OF THE PROCESSES OF GLOBALISATION, PLANETARY URBANIZATION AND INTERNATIONAL MIGRATIONS. THE EXPLORATION OF THE UNKNOWN AND FRAGMENTED TERRITORY OF ALMADA GOES FROM THE CONCEPTUAL PROPOSITIONS TO THE TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE IDEAS, PROVIDING THE FINAL DESIGN AND PRESENT ATION OF THE CRITICAL RESEARCH. THE PROJECT PROPOSES A SIMPLE, ADAPTIVE FRAMEWORK THAT UTILIZES AN INTEGRATIVE DESIGNRESEARCH METHODOLOGY, STRUCTURED IN FOUR PARTS AS FOUR SCALES: THIS CONCEPTUAL APPROACH IS THE ORIGIN OF THE THESIS’ CREATIVE PROCESS TO FURTHER UNDERSTAND THE CORRECT SCALE TO USE FOR EACH PART OF THE SPACE. FOCUS OF THE RESEARCH IS ARCHITECTURE AS A MEDIATOR PHENOMENON BETWEEN HUMAN BEINGS AND NATURAL SCAPE: THE RESULT IS AN OPEN-ENDED EXPLORATION CONSISTENT INTO THE (RE)INTERPRETATION AND (RE)ORGANIZATION OF THE SITE, FOUNDING THE ROOTS ON A LONG-LASTING, SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION THAT EMERGED IN RESPONSE TO A DEMOGRAPHIC DEMAND - AND SO IT IS ABLE TO PERMANENTLY ACT, CHANGE, ADAPT THROUGH TIME AND SPACE.

LAND(E)SCAPE SURVEYS ARCHITECTURAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FORMS OF COLLECTIVE HOUSING THAT DEMONSTRATE HOW THE TRANSFORMING UNDERSTANDING OF NATURE CAN MODIFY THE WAYS IN WHICH WE ORGANIZE, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCT BUILDINGS, BOTH IN CONCEPT AND IN PRACTICE.

THE THESIS AIMS TO SHARE ANALYTIC TOOLS SUCH AS OBSERVATION, TERRAIN EXPLORATION, ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS TO EXTENSIVELY PROJECT NEW FUNCTIONAL DEMOCRATIC URBAN LANDSCAPES. IT IS MADE AS A LINK BETWEEN SMALL AND LARGE SCALE SYSTEMS WITH THE AIM TO INVESTIGATE ON THE URGENCY FOR BUILD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR ALL INHABITANTS - IN THE END IT IS POSSIBLE TO SEE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE REFLECTION ON A CULTURAL, SOCIAL, SPATIAL AND ECOLOGICAL LEVEL.