Saber fazer arquitectura: da didáctica à prática num paralelo entre Porto e Oslo

Abstract

What does it imply to know how to do architecture? The entire discourse and development of the present dissertation came from the urge to discover some answers to this difficult inquiry. Having the author's educational experience - at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (FAUP) and at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO) - as a starting point, this brief research intends to explore the richness and complexity that define the extensive universe of architectural theory and practice. In order to accomplish that, it was crucial to introduce the basis for a phenomenological approach to the concept of "space", as well as to the disclosure the psychological processes involved in its perception. From there, it became possible to better understand the work of the Norwegian architects Arne Korsmo, Sverre Fehn and Christian Norberg-Schulz and establish a parallel between them and their Portuguese counterparts: Fernando Távora, Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura. Therefore, their unique ways of thinking and designing allowed the analysis of modern society from a new perspective. However, the field of architecture - throughout this entire procedure - has proven to be considerably more demanding than what was originally expected, showing signs of fragility both in the academic and in the professional world and having its social importance always questioned. With this investigation, it was aimed not only to outline the primary problems that architects have to face daily, but also to recognize how to prepare the future generations for the uncertainty that awaits them.