A Galeria Exterior em Edifícios de Habitação Plurifamiliar: Experiências Portuenses, 1915-2007

Abstract

The master thesis "The Exterior Gallery in Collective Housing Buildings: Porto Experiences, 1915-2007" is a study about the gallery as a system of access to collective housing buildings, over several generations. Taking the city of Porto as a starting point, 36 case studies were gathered and listed, covering different time periods, contexts and promotion types, demonstrating the gallery's ability to adapt to different ways of life. Using the original architectural projects, collected in public and private city archives, it was possible to document, redesign and analyze the group of projects, through the definition of a standard information that allows to easily compare all the cases of study. Subsequently, design themes and particular characteristics in the way of designing these buildings were identified, not only from an architectural point of view, but also to the aggregating potential that it provides to the residents' experiences. Throughout this journey of almost 100 years, it is understood that, more than an option, the gallery has been an opportunity, and therefore the need to highlight and reaffirm the interest and validity that it constitutes as an access system is irrefutable, presenting a renewed look at the theme.