Casa de Vila Viçosa (1959-1963): Ecos das memórias de Nuno Teotónio Pereira e Nuno Portas sobre Carlos Scarpa

Abstract

Casa de Vila Viçosa (1959-1963), announced as a Public Interest Monument since 2017, it is an architectonic work from Nuno Teotónio Pereira's architecture studio, which represents an important landmark in Portuguese architecture of the 50's and 60's. As a period characterized by values redefinition and new trends pursuit, which arised from the critique to the Modern Movement, the object chosen for this study actively explores these topics and concerns. On the one hand, the strategic position it adopts in the urban spectrum leads to a total integration of the object in place and in time, part of the so-called organic architecture. On the other hand, the spirit of seeking for innovation with overseas influence enhances the problematic of this work. As a result of this spirit, it arises Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978), Venetian architect, distinguished by a modernity in a city that is not, such as Venice, with a taste and attention for detail combined with a mastery of artisanal construction. This is transported to the Casa de Vila Viçosa, under several aspects. Firstly, there is an effort to contextualize the period under study in the Portuguese architecture panorama and, consequently, the way Carlo Scarpa fits into it, through the figure of Nuno Portas, who plays a fundamental role in the architect's dissemination in Portugal, in the year of 1957. The third chapter of this work places Casa de Vila Viçosa as an object under possible connection with the works of Carlo Scarpa, in a structure that follows the "reading" of spaces from general to particular. The cross analysis throughout the work with the works of Scarpa, proposes a mainly methodological approach to the work of the Italian "master". Throughout this dissertation, it is emphasized that the presence of Scarpa is understood as a critical response to the Modern Movement. In this context, the ambition is that this work will contribute to studies about the influence of Carlo Scarpa in the context of Portuguese architecture, which may challenge new paths and studies.