Adobes! Porque não? Integração do adobe como processo construtivo na arquitectura contemporânea

Abstract

In a time of an increasingly global architecture, where the value of a universal image often prevails over local references and contexts, the present work explores the influence that a material and its constructive technique had on a region. In an attempt to avoid the marked loss of heritage, it is urgent to reveal the importance of the adobe block in local architecture. The object of this dissertation is the adobe block, having as reference the region of Bairrada, in the central zone of Portugal, where its presence was ample and remarkable. To understand better the architectural singularity of the region, it was important to study and frame construction in adobe, in the region, in the country and in the world. The practical and empirical experience was fundamental in the acquisition of knowledge, resorting to the disciplinary and popular knowledge of the adobe's manufacture. Several tests were carried out, to assess the mechanical resistance of several compositions of adobe blocks. This exercise proved essential in the understanding of the technical difficulties and the clearance of the results. The resistance tests were carried out in the Civil Engineering laboratory of the University of Aveiro, which has extensive experience in the area of adobe block. Finally, addressing the future of the adobe block, it is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of its use, analyze its pathologies and overcome them in contemporary design. Having verified the skills of its technique, it is fundamental to promote and recover the adobe block, so that in the future, its culture importance will be secured by its use in new architectural applications.