The Preservation of Authenticity and the Awareness of the Necessary

Abstract

The architecture of the Modern Movement in Oporto, Portugal, built between 1940 and 1960, is a recent heritage, whose scant recognition has been accelerating its natural degradation and increasing interventions of questionable quality. On one hand, the technical and structural weaknesses of the architecture of this period can be the cause of accelerated degradation, which are, in part, a consequence of successive experiments of new materials like concrete. On the other hand, we note the absence of disciplinary criteria in contemporary interventions, which suggests the fragility of the legal and logical framework for the material protection of this architectural legacy. This study analyses multi-family housing buildings built in Oporto with undeniable architectural quality and characteristics of the Modern Movement — the Parnaso, Ouro and D. Afonso V buildings. Apart from a reflection on the strategies for renovation, reuse and effective adaptation of these buildings to contemporary living requirements, this study aims to establish a relation between the spatial, technical and social transformations and the preservation of the originality/authenticity of these buildings.

State-Subsidised Housing and Architecture in 20th-Century Portugal: A Critical Review Outlining Multidisciplinary Implications

“…Lameira and Rocha developed studies about collective dwelling for middle classes, focusing on the preservation processes [31,32], the socio-economic context and regulations [33], as well as the methodological instruments required for a morphological analysis of the city and its buildings [34,35]. As an international partner [36], C. Espegel conducted team-based research work documenting an extensive series of multifamily housing units built in Spain , which resulted in a critical overview of Spanish housing phenomena.…”