Characterizing traditional Brazilian house typologies by means of intervisibility analysis

Abstract

This paper analyzes the morphological differences in traditional urban architecture in Brazil between the typologies of rowhouses and urban or suburban mansions, from the mid-eighteenth to the early twentieth century. It focuses on the relatively uniform and conservative context of the states of Rio de Janeiro, Goiás (including Tocantins), and Minas Gerais. This study highlights defining characteristics of each of the two typological series. While most previous studies have looked at tree graph analysis to assess the topological connections between individual spaces, this research turns to intervisibility analysis, evidencing the morphological centers of compositions. The results highlight how visual integration analysis confirms the overlap between the spatial composition of both rowhouses and mansions and the attributes of social life specific to each of these typologies. These attributes include the location of the family room in the rear of rowhouses and, in contrast, the primacy of ceremonial spaces in the front of mansions.