Arquitetura escolar em Matosinhos: três operações de transformação contemporânea

Abstract

The present work has as motivation the study of the modernization operations of the architecture of the schools in the city of Matosinhos. We analyze the contemporary initiatives advocated in the city center's schools, to understand the discourse and strategies promoted in the introduction of current constructive and pedagogical requirements, and in the educational environment's renewal. The School is one of the main public buildings in a city, it's one of our references, and is a part of our memory. It is not just about the ways of teaching and learning in each time and place, it's where knowledge converges, a place where the new generations are taught. The school, as a public institution, reflects the political, social and cultural concerns of each era, both in the organization of its interior spaces, as well as the constructive techniques used, and in a way it positions itself within the socioeconomic level of each community. School buildings have always been seen as an epicenter of territorial development, requiring a permanent capacity for dialogue and adaptation to the different realities faced by each generation. Through a course of constant and gradual approach to the process of contemporary modernization, a portrait of the historical context that framed the construction of the schools is made, describing, then, the geographical position and the evolution of the urban fabric where they are inserted. Finally, the study of the different operations to which these school buildings were submitted is carried out. It is through this framework that we will try to understand the current strategies of school modernization, establishing a bridge between the past and the present, from the time construction to its contemporary transformation.