Macau: entre memórias e espaços. Uma cidade nova ribeirinha

Abstract

Living in Macau means being confronted not only with the space of its densely populated surface, but also with the particularity of a territory, whose progress has not managed to erase the indelible marks of an orginal culture that settled there centuries ago and that still endures: a privileged place for the encounter between Portugal and China. Much of its history is present in the streets, buildings, churches and fortresses, a place of convergence of cultures shaped in a secular coexistence with its landmarks of grandeur and difficulties. It is a city unlike any other, with its own singularities, which combine the diversity of its landscapes with the limitations of its spaces and urban silhouettes. Since then, Macau has undergone a constant growth in the urban construction sector, evidently visible in its nature and characterized by the new buildings that have emerged and that change the scales, profiles, urban and human contexts of the peculiarly mediterranean character of this city. However, this growth has not been beneficial for the development and evolution of the city, disfiguring and jeopardizing its identity. In this way, we seek to recover that identity, through the presentation of sustainable solutions since, nowadays, the demand for an architectural approach focused on sustainable solutions for cities is increasing. Finally, the case study will be focused on two intervention areas, Baía da Praia Grande and the Macau's waterfront.