Dentro da casa. A natureza do pátio

Abstract

Directly connected to the relationship we establish with each other is the relationship we constantly establish with the environment surrounding us, both of them being cause and consequence of the shelter, house or home we create on the ground we live in. Ever since the first quest for shelter architecture has remained as the leading role of the relationship between men and earth, where they live, build and thrive. Regardless of the circumstance(s) in which it is erected, a shelter is always born from the needs of protection, distance and intimacy. Confirming these needs, the domestic courtyard exists not only as a refuge within a refuge but also as a private and intimate opening to nature, therefore allowing for its elements to enter the house. Although it can be thought of in its own broad sense, the courtyard's evolution as a defining, organizing and distributing element of the domestic space requires for it to be included in the discussion about the shelter that is the house, and how the house materializes the relationships of men with each other and with the land. Alongside with a project for a courtyard house that supports and complements it, the proposed analysis unfolds from the subjects of the when, the whom, the how and the why of the courtyard's domestic presence. From this main theme and based on physical elements from the project itself, throughout the dissertation some more reflections on many timeless concepts arise, such as privacy and intimacy. Changing according to circumstances, these concepts directly impact the interpretation - and therefore the meaning - not only of the domestic courtyard but also of the shelter, house or home in which it appears.