Residência de estudantes. A célula do(s) estudante(s) nas residências universitárias e politécnicas

Abstract

Nowadays, due to the constant change of contemporary society and its values both social and political‐economic, the issues at the level of dwelling take significant proportions. In a society where issues such as community, collectivity, globalization, the dichotomy between private and public space, standardization, among others, define the present Humanity, it becomes increasingly important to focus on the problematic of collective dwelling, through the seeking of clear and effective solutions, able to respond to this new emergent society. However, it is within this scenario that we can see that the theme of collective academic housing has remained undervalued and sometimes solved in an arbitrary manner, with few countries that have truly effective solutions. This situation is quite worrying because, due to the changing educational policies, there are still no entities that truly engage themselves in real solutions able to provide to this type of housing the deserved quality, so they are now seen as weak and restrictive housing and therefore chosen by students as the last possible option. In most academic apartment buildings, we can notice the phenomenon of refusal of projected space as well as a lack of identity and environmental quality. The recipes are applied indiscriminately, without distinction that contemplates the place and the different needs of students who live there, and this seems to be one of the leading causes of disbelief and rejection of this type of housing, ultimately acting as aggravating the personal development of its inhabitants, contrary to the purpose for which they were built. In Portugal, for example, the systems for residential students differ little from each other and there is not any example truly innovative. Despite the normal limitation of this type of housing (customer requirements, financial constraints, number of students, among others), the role of the architect is crucial, because he is the one that draws and projects the residence, and therefore, establishes the spatial relationships that will develop within it. If done properly, it is the ideal type of housing providing the growth, personal and social development of the student, as it contains within it the two fundamental levels: it is his habitable container ‐ cell ‐ but also "the home of all" students, where the proper interrelationship between private and public spaces should allow, fairly more effectively, individualize himself whenever he wishes, but also socializes, taking advantage of the fact of living in a community.