De pedras a lavadouros. Evolução no contexto português

Abstract

Public washhouses are historic structures that currently we associate with rurality. However, they persist in both rural and urban contexts, punctuating the territories in Portugal. Once, they were spaces of major importance in the common daily life for enabling wear wash in a more hygienic way and being a gathering place for women. Being a theme little addressed in architecture and of personal interest, with this dissertation we aim to deepen the knowledge about these structures, especially, concerning their architectonic evolution. Therefore, we are going to analyze the washhouse space from its condition of a loose stone to the present, proposing a reflection about its future. The present work is arranged in two main parts. The first displays a wider territorial approach, while the second one focus in a more local context.