Olhar o modernismo pelas "janelas" do Bloco da Carvalhosa

Abstract

The object of study of this dissertation is the set of windows of one of the apartments within building nº571-573, in Rua da Boavista in the city of Porto, designed by architects Arménio Losa and Cassiano Barbosa at the request of the civil engineer José do Amaral Guimarães Júnior, in 1947. This building, known as Bloco da Carvalhosa is classified as a monument of public interest, owing to its inestimable value to the city and to Portuguese modernism as well. Therefore, the need to broaden the study so as to encompass the modernist panorama at an international level was felt; corroborating thusly the reforming role of the modern window, deemed to be one of the main architectural devices responsible for the movement's advancement. Subsequently, the Portuguese social and political context of this time period is established, mostly focusing on the ODAM group created in Porto. This organization, composed by a set of ESBAP trained architects; amongst wich are the authors of the residential block being studied; believed the reformation of Portuguese architecture towards international models to be both indispensable and urgent. Supported by a solid theoretical footing based on the observation of the emergence of both national and international modernism, and with fenestration being invariably the central point of the study, the following work attempts to systematize the entire set of windows that integrate one of the housing modules contained within the building in Boavista - many of which have fallen victim to mischaracterization brought forth by replacement of the original devices. With the cardinal objective of reestablishing Arménio Losa and Cassiano Barbosa's original design, the aim is set towards the reconstitution of their original and modernist view, which characterizes this volume as one of undeniable value to Portuguese architectural patrimony.