Salvaguarda e valorização da muralha Fernandina do Porto. Proposta para o troço existente entre a Rua das Virtudes e a Rua Nova da Alfândega

Abstract

The objective of this thesis is to develop a methodology of intervention in the architectural heritage, directed specifically to the city wall of Porto. As such, the work starts from a conjunction of the study of the history of the monument, with the evolution of the theories of restoration and conservation in architecture, to obtain tools for an intervention in one of the last surviving sections of the wall, located between Rua das Virtudes and Rua Nova da Alfândega. The relationship between architecture and time serves as the engine that creates the structure of the narrative, which seeks to follow the history of the wall from its construction in the fourteenth century to the present day, and to understand its connection with the city and its inhabitants at the most significant moments. The natural transition from theory to practice is often subverted throughout the work, when the project for the restoration of the wall becomes a pretext for a personal reflection on all the issues addressed. As a consequence, the intention to give the wall back to the city, initially considered to be the most relevant, is overshadowed by a more pertinent one for an academic context: to question and test the possible methods to achieve this goal.