A Casa Fragamentada. Ensaio para uma vida coletiva alternativa

Abstract

In architecture, we work on the products of the adaptation of space to Man, created by himself, which at the same time corresponds to a result and a reflection of his relationship with the world around him. In this way, domestic space is not a product invented from scratch and finished, but rather the result of the accumulation of experiences that humanity has been collecting and improving, from its beginnings (when they still sheltered in caves) to the present day. Understanding Man, in his various dimensions, his spirit and desires, the environment and the society in which he lives, becomes essential to create living spaces that best suit his lifestyle and needs. Today we live in times of instability and uncertainty. The reality of society, diverse and constantly changing, associated with the growing weight that virtual space has gained in our lives, has been creating new lifestyles with new needs, to which the domestic space has to respond. In addition to this, it is also changing the sense of home, which today is less and less a self-sufficient and isolated redoubt from the outside, and is more connected than ever and dependent on the territory in which it is inserted, where the individual finds spaces and services that complement it and which the virtual space brings closer. Thus, the house has been merging with the city in an "endless domestic landscape" which houses the individual's life, where the domestic cell is just one more space, of a house composed by fragments which are spread throughout the city. The present dissertation aims to understand these transformations that have been occurring in society, the new challenges these pose to the domestic space and what role it plays today in the life of Man. Thus, the focus is on collective housing, on the way we think and live these buildings, believing that there are weaknesses that can be overcome, but also potentialities that can be explored and that may become important in face of the challenges that the present, but also the future presents. In this way, we look at several alternative approaches to thinking about these structures and the spaces that compose them, with which we can learn to explore the potentialities of living in collective housing buildings.