Su eys on Ve nacula A chi ec u e. Thei Signi icance in he 20 h Cen u y A chi ec u al Cul u e
Con e ence P oceedings. Opo o, May 17-19, 2012
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OUR PROJECT: THE “POPULAR ARCHITECTURE IN PORTUGAL”. A
CRITICAL LOOK. INTERCALAR RESULTS OF A RESEARCH PROJECT.
Ma ia Helena Maia*, Alexand a Ca doso* and Joana Cunha Leal**
*Cen o de Es udos A naldo A aújo / ESAP, Po o
**Ins i u o de His ó ia da A e / FCSH-UNL, Lisboa
Po ugal
Abs ac
The esea ch p ojec we a e de eloping is cen e ed on he c i ical s udy o Popula
A chi ec u e in Po ugal olume, published in 1961 by he A chi ec s’ Union. This subjec
was chosen no only o he impo ance o he su ey on which i is based o he his o y
o Po uguese a chi ec u al cul u e, bu also because we conside ha he c i ical
discussion p omp ed by he su ey main ains i s ele ance unal e ed, now ha he
deba es on e nacula and egionalism ha e e-en e ed he agenda o p o essional
deba es.
E en so, Popula A chi ec u e in Po ugal is no being s udy in isola ion, in and o i sel .
Ins ead, we chose o s udy i wi hin a ponde ed amewo k, dialoguing wi h heo e ical
elemen s unde lying he exp essi eness o some mode n a chi ec u al e udi e
languages.
Wi hin his amewo k, Ped o Viei a de Almeida (2010) b ough in wo complemen a y
key analy ical a ian s o his p ojec . He conside ed hem as “pa ame e s in so dina”:
Fi s ly, he no ion o he gene ic impo ance o a chi ec u al exp ession o g ea e o
lesse deg ee o hickness o he walls, shaping wha migh be called a poe ics o hin
walls on he one hand, and a poe ics o hick walls on he o he .
Secondly, he no ion o ansi ion-space’s a chi ec u al exp essi eness key
signi icance.
This pape aims o p esen he cu en s a e o ou esea ch p ojec , b inging i s co e
wo king lines and esul s in o discussion.
Keywo ds: Su ey, Ve nacula A chi ec u e, Mode n A chi ec u e, Po uguese
A chi ec u e
Ma ia Helena Maia, Alexand a Ca doso, Joana Cunha Leal, Ou P ojec : The “Popula A chi ec u e in Po ugal”.
A C i ical Look. In e cala Resul s o a Resea ch P ojec
16
The Popula A chi ec u e in Po ugal. A C i ical Look, which we a e now
p esen ing, was se as a esea ch p ojec in la e 2008 o be de eloped be ween
Ap il 2010 and Ma ch 2013, unde he coo dina ion o Ped o Viei a de Almeida.
The p oposal and assump ions on which his p ojec elied, we e being equa ed
by Ped o o some ime. As he p ojec ook o m hey achie ed a wide c i ical
dimension, o conce ns we e no longe indi idual, bu sha ed wi hin a eam
wo k.
Two dis inc ye complemen a y ocus we e encompassed by his p ojec (1) he
Su ey aken as objec o s udy and (2) he Su ey used as a p e ex o
heo e ical e lec ion.
The la e holds all heo e ical e lexion on a chi ec u al exp essi eness which
akes as key analy ical a ian s o his p ojec wha PVA conside s he
‘pa ame e s in so dina’:
Fi s ly, he no ion o he gene ic impo ance o g ea e o lesse deg ee o he
hickness ec o , in he ield o a chi ec u al exp essi eness, and wha i s
deg ee o incidence on e nacula a chi ec u e and e udi e a chi ec u e, shaping
wha migh be called a poe ics o hin walls on he one hand, and a poe ics o
hick walls on he o he .
Secondly, he eal exp essi e meaning o he no ion space- ansi ion in
s uc u ing he idea o “habi a ion”, unde s anding space- ansi ion, an in-
be ween space de ined as being simul aneously in e io and ex e io .
This e lec ion b ough by Ped o o he p ojec goes a beyond he aspec s
di ec ly linked o he Inqué i o à A qui ec u a Regional Po uguesa [Su ey on
Po uguese Regional A chi ec u e]. Indeed, i is deeply oo ed in b oade
heo e ical and c i ical conce ns.
To he da e o his dea h, Ped o was w i ing Cade nos 1 e 2 (Almeida, 2011;
2011a), in which he sough o de ine he heo e ical basis o he p ojec . This
wo k was mean o cla i y his heo e ical posi ion, as he was ying o ne in a
easoned discou se a ious esea ch in e es s (mode ni y, mode nism/pos -
Su eys on Ve nacula A chi ec u e. Thei Signi icance in he 20 h Cen u y A chi ec u al Cul u e
Con e ence P oceedings. Opo o, May 17-19, 2012
17
mode nism, pos -mode ni y, on he one hand, and iden i y, e nacula , he i age
and globaliza ion, on he o he ). Ped o was also eco e ing his ea ly s udies on
space in a chi ec u e.
The ichness o his wo k and he need o espec au ho ship, led us o choose o
limi his i s pape o a p esen a ion o in e cala y esul s o he p ojec ,
lea ing he in luen ial con ibu e o Ped o o a second pape dedica ed o his
hough s on he Su ey1
. I is impo an o no e ha , despi e no being p esen ,
Ped o Viei a de Almeida is also au ho o he wo k now being p esen ed.
The Su ey as objec o s udy
The s udy o he Su ey co e ed se e al aspec s, including a new eading and
iden i ica ion o p oblems associa ed wi h i ; a c i ical e iew o he
his o iog aphy on he subjec (Ca doso, Maia 2010) and an a emp o
unde s and i s signi icance in con empo a y a chi ec u al cul u e, bo h na ionally
and in e na ionally, which is he genesis o his Con e ence.
One should begin by no icing ha al hough he publica ion o he Su ey unde
he i le A qui ec u a Popula em Po ugal [Popula A chi ec u e in Po ugal]
cu en ly achie ed i s 4 h edi ion, and despi e he ac ha i is being widely
men ioned by all so s o ex s de o ed o Po uguese a chi ec u e, in o ma ion
on i was ela i ely sca ce.
A ailable, and commonly e e enced in o ma ion is o en conce ned wi h h ee
majo issues: 1) iden i ica ion o he genealogy o he Su ey in i s a icula ion
wi h he p oblem o Po uguese House (F ança 1970); 2) i s ela ion o he 1s
Na ional Cong ess o A chi ec u e p omo ed in 1948; and 3) i s ela ion o he
‘A chi ec u e’ jou nal (Po as 1978). We migh add o hose ma e s he a emp
o assess i s in luence, especially in wha conce ns he so-called hi d way
ollowed by he Po uguese mode n a chi ec u e (Po as 1978), a subjec ha is
1 See in his Con e ence P oceedings Leal, Maia and Ca doso, Ped o Viei a de Almeida and he
Su ey
Ma ia Helena Maia, Alexand a Ca doso, Joana Cunha Leal, Ou P ojec : The “Popula A chi ec u e in Po ugal”.
A C i ical Look. In e cala Resul s o a Resea ch P ojec
18
a ac ing mos e e ences, pe haps due o he in e na ional p ojec ion ha his
a chi ec u e has eached oday.
The liaison wi h he poli ical sys em is pa o hose aspec s. The ambiguous
ela ionship es ablished be ween a chi ec s and he dic a o ship o Salaza , was
in e p e ed as an ac o esis ance (Pe ei a 2000) suppo ed by sub le ingenious
misunde s andings (Po as 1978). This eading needs, as a as we a e
conce ned, o be conside ed in a wide con ex : ha o gene al ela ions
be ween a chi ec u e, a chi ec s and powe du ing Es ado No o (Ca doso, Maia
2011) his being a a he polemical issue in he con ex o na ional
his o iog aphy (see Pe ei a, Fe nandes 1987; Pe ei a 2000; Almeida, Maia 1986,
Almeida 1998).
On he o he hand, some au ho s (Almeida, 2002 Ca doso, 2005; Filguei as
1986; Mendes 1987) men ion he s ong cul u al in luence o geog aphy and
an h opology. As is well known con ac wi h O lando Ribei o and Jo ge Dias’
eam was especially ele an o he no he n eams wo king in he Su ey. This
ac , u ned ou o ha e in e na ional consequences, h ough he choices made
o he s udy submi ed by he Po uguese delega ion o he X CIAM Cong ess in
Dub o nik in 1956, unde he i le Plan o a Ru al Communi y in T ás-os-
Mon es.
F om ou poin o iew, since he e one could an icipa e he a icula ion be ween
c i ical egionalism and c i ical in e na ionalism ha Ped o has been building
om Ca los Ramos’ quo a ion o Emile Sch eibe '(…) in e na ional pene a ion,
na ional in e p e a ion, his is he whole sec e o ha mony in he wo ld o
omo ow.’ (1986).
In con as , Su ey’s con ibu ion o an h opology h ough he eco d o a
la gely disappea ing u al Po ugal has been s essed (Pe ei a, 2000), as well as
i s impo ance as a pho og aphic documen o he his o y o Po uguese
pho og aphy (Sena, 1998).
Con e sely, a en ion was ne e gi en o he me hodological aspec s o he
Su ey. I is impo an o s ess he his o iog aphical unawa eness o his poin ,
Su eys on Ve nacula A chi ec u e. Thei Signi icance in he 20 h Cen u y A chi ec u al Cul u e
Con e ence P oceedings. Opo o, May 17-19, 2012
19
as we belie e ha i should be ho oughly analized. Indeed, one o he bigges
p oblems in eading and in e p e ing he Su ey is ha no me hodological
homogenei y wha soe e bonds he wo k o he six eams ha ha e done i .
This absence o a common me hod e lec s i sel in he o al lack o uni y o he
Su ey (Almeida 1986). Mo eo e , he au ho s' desi e o ind he di e si y in
Po uguese adi ional a chi ec u e, condi ioned hei look ‘ o ead wha in he
coun y a e pe manencies, no only in ime bu also in space’ (Almeida 2008:
110).
As igh ly no ed by he geog aphe O lando Ribei o (1998, XVI) ‘ he e a e wo
ways o look a he apid ans o ma ions he wo ld goes h ough. Many see
mos ly he changes, o he s y o ca ch ou wha , despi e hem, s ays he same’
A i s app oach o he Su ey’s g aphic ma e ial immedia ely highligh s he non-
sys ema ic no a ion used zone by zone which in i sel makes i di icul o a
compa a i e analysis o he indings. In addi ion, he lack o uni o mi y in he
cha ac e iza ion o he di e en a chi ec u al ypes, acco ding o indi idual
c i e ia, makes i impossible o ead he global se o maps ha ha e been
published.
I was he e o e c ucial o ou s udy o ea all he exis ing documen a ion o
be ead as a whole, wha led us o ma ch in a single map he bounda ies o he
zones ha we e su eyed.
Apa om an ob ious excess o in o ma ion, his exe cise pe mi ed us o
ealize ha he lack o he ypological map o Zone 5, Alen ejo, would no allow
an in o ma ion se . To add ess his gap we decided o make a ske ch map,
based on a egional cha anno a ed by his zone eam2
2 I is he egional di ision o he Zone [5], acco ding o P o . Amo im Gi ão Esboço duma Ca a
Regional de Po ugal published by eam’s zone 5 (A qui ec u a Popula em Po ugal, 1961:512)
, ying o iden i y in he
e i o y he loca ion o he examples collec ed o e e ed o in he ex . In his
ask, he symbols and he cha ac e iza ion employed o hese ypes we e based
on simila c i e ia o app oach, which we p esume ha e iden i ied in all he h ee
eams om he sou h. No e ha hese eams we e pa icula ly sensi i e o he
cons uc i e and o mal aspec s o u al housing.

Ma ia Helena Maia, Alexand a Ca doso, Joana Cunha Leal, Ou P ojec : The “Popula A chi ec u e in Po ugal”.
A C i ical Look. In e cala Resul s o a Resea ch P ojec
20
A e ea ing digi ally all cha s and ypological maps associa ed in an
in e ac i e da abase - an ope a ing ool ha allows successi e app oxima ions
o clea ing up in o ma ion – and eco ded he a ious elemen s ha we e
conside ed signi ican by he six eams o a chi ec s, i was possible o accoun
o he 82 symbols employed. The mos ep esen a i e examples o popula
a chi ec u e in Po ugal we e hen ansla ed in di e en ypes o buildings
(dwellings, se ices, ma ke s, collec i e equipmen , chapels,…).
In he i s s age o sys ema iza ion, some elemen s we e excluded, o hey did
no seem ele an o he c i ical esea ch being de eloped. As a esul ,
s uc u es wi h g ea e cha ac e induce o collec i e li e -habi a ion- we e
highligh ed. The s uc u es which ha e only a u ili y induced o collec i e li e, o
wi hou di ec a chi ec u al alue, we e emo ed3
Wi h hese ‘cleane ’ maps, i was now possible o selec a eas o i s isi s o
key poin s, which wi hou excessi e de ail allowed collec ing in o ma ion in he
ield, hus alida ing he choice o hose a eas o be wo ked mo e consis en ly.
. Cu en ly, a se o 53
di e en ypes o dwellings is iden i ied.
This in loco app oach in Zone 4 (Es emadu a), which is ich in examples
p o ided wi h hin walls, and Zone 3 (Bei as), which is expec ed o hos
examples o hick walls and space- ansi ion has no been pa icula ly use ul on
his las pa ame e , because many o he examples egis e ed by he Su ey
ha e disappea ed. Howe e he e a e s ill some cases ha allow he c ossing
wi h he g aphic in o ma ion, so i is impo an o check hem in he ield.
In a second s age o sys ema iza ion, an a emp was made o g oup in he
same ypological classi ica ion examples o dwellings sepa a ely unde s ood and
p esen ed as dis inc i e by he Su ey. Fo i seemed o us ha no analy ical
ad an age was coming om his op ion. A good example o his is Zone 1,
whe e a mhouses a e singled ou indi idually and Zone 2 wi h se e al a ia ions
o dwellings wi h balcony.
3 A his s age we decided o keep he pilg image chapels (zone 1) and he chapels wi h po ch
(zone 2) as a possible hypo hesis o s udy he no ion o space- ansi ion..
Su eys on Ve nacula A chi ec u e. Thei Signi icance in he 20 h Cen u y A chi ec u al Cul u e
Con e ence P oceedings. Opo o, May 17-19, 2012
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This app oach o examples o e nacula a chi ec u e is no in ended o be a
enewed su ey, bu an in en ional and conscious app oach mean o e i y he
wo king hypo heses o mula ed in ad ance: hickness and space- ansi ion as
exp essi e alues.
Beyond he immedia e g aphics consequences, his wo k phase has a componen
o c i ical in e p e a ion o hose elemen s, which equi es a ca e ul heo e ical
amewo k o he op ions o be aken.
We hope ha he elease o in o ma ion, cu en ly being wo ked on new
summa y-maps co e ing he six zones will e en ually allow an in eg a ed
eading o he en i e na ional e i o y. F om his in o ma ion, we expec esul s
ha enable us o o mula e a ypological ede ini ion abou he examples held in
he 'Su ey' and o s a a e eshed c i ical dialogue be ween e udi e and
e nacula ields in gene al a chi ec u al language.
Cu en ly, we a e in a c ucial phase o ou esea ch, no only because we a e
now p oceeding o c i ically o ien ed ecogni ions, bu also because i
simul aneously ep esen s a momen , pa icula ly delica e, ha equi es
a en ion and disciplined sensi i i y o he examples o ind. These will suppo
he kind o exp essi e elemen s in he a chi ec u al language ha we p opose o
analyze, i.e., he impo ance o ‘wall hickness’ in he de e mina ion o in e io
space and he social signi icance o ‘space- ansi ion’ in he socializa ion o
home. (Almeida 2011a)
Fo he objec i i y o his pa icula eading, i is impo an o coun on a
uni e se o a 's abilized' wo k, as is he case o he a chi ec u es ha he
"Su ey" speci ically e e s o. Fu he mo e, and because hey a e examples o
e nacula a chi ec u e, hey ha e in ou opinion he addi ional ad an age o
holding an a chi ec u al exp ession ‘spon aneous, popula , genuine cha ac e , in
he sense o being cul u ally candid, and no being domina ed by e udi e ideas’
(Almeida, 2010: 12).
Finally, i is ou in en ion o pay a ibu e, now ha 50 yea s ha e passed since
he Su ey was b ough o wa d, o i s au ho s and p omo e s, since we belie e
Ma ia Helena Maia, Alexand a Ca doso, Joana Cunha Leal, Ou P ojec : The “Popula A chi ec u e in Po ugal”.
A C i ical Look. In e cala Resul s o a Resea ch P ojec
22
ha o his da e he Su ey on Po uguese Regional A chi ec u e hasn’ been
c i ically s udied, as i dese ed.
Acknowledgmen s
This pape is unded wi h FEDER unds by he Ope a ional Compe i i eness P og amme –
COMPETE and na ional unds by FCT – Fundação pa a a Ciência e Tecnologia wi hin he
p ojec Popula A chi ec u e in Po ugal. A c i ical look (FCT: PTDC/AUR-AQI/099063;
COMPETE: FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-008832).
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Con e ence P oceedings. Opo o, May 17-19, 2012
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FAUP