Casas de Renda Económica de Santo Tirso

Abstract

The present work proposes an approach to the theme of the collective housing in the second half of the twentieth century, through the study of two neighbourhoods promoted by the «Economic Housing» -Federação de Caixas de Previdência in the city of Santo Tirso. It is analysed the influence of this organism in the construction of housing and it is given particular emphasis to the architecture in rural context in the North of the country. We have verified that after the Second World War, the architects' interest in architecture in the rural context provided a new perspective on the formal aspects and on the set of houses in the economic sphere, through materials, construction and ways of living. A set of reinterpretations of modern architecture emerged in the decade of 60's, experimenting with different scales. The work focuses therefore, on the two groups of Santo Tirso Economic rent Houses, built in different phases, 1963 and 1975 respectively. They form an integral part of the urbanization plan for the town of Santo Tirso and a set of buildings that emerged in the country with the same premise: build for the largest number.