A Casa dos Primos: Aparelho

Abstract

The dissertation "A Casa dos Primos: Aparelho" has its origin in a real-life house project for Alvre's place, located in Aguiar de Sousa. The project was divided into two distinct parts: "A Casa dos Primos" and "Aparelho". The former presents drawings and three-dimensional images of the project to inform the reader about the research's motifs and final product - indicating the path portrayed in the second half. The latter, describes its preceding preparation and presents itself as a methodological and fragmented narrative about the architectural project as a specific way of living inside the house within a familiar context. This "Aparelho" is formed, first and foremost, by the "Casa Escrita - a set of fragments, referred to as "cartas" (letters), that relate to nevralgic points of the process. Each "carta" (letter) corresponds to a specific action that describes, synthesizes, and locates the moment amidst the predefined path, in both time and space. Since none of the architectural pieces is born without a reference, these moments also serve to expose those references alongside additional relevant aspects, such as interpretations, journeys, objects, or situations. Afterwards, the "Casa Desenhada" refers to a dense and extensive set of fragments that derived from the practical development of the project. The drawing, maquet, and photograph highlight the chronological back and forths, hesitations, and repetitions of each circulating individual. Both parts portray the same path in two contrasting ways, showing how the practical reality is indissociable from the theoretical narrative, and that its isolated interpretation is, therefore, incoherent. Due to the universality of "Aparelho", the concept extends into the structure of its own document, suggesting a more unorthodox format. Thus, the dissertation also functions as a mechanical device with its own designed parts, which provide an overview of the set and its working process.