Forma, Estrutura e Pele. Para uma leitura da obra de Eduardo Souto Moura

Abstract

Form, structure and skin make part of the topic for a study of the work of Eduardo Souto de Moura. There are three key concepts for the analysis of the three major works - Casa das Artes, Edifício Burgo and Casa in Serra da Arrábida. Understanding the importance of the form, of the structure and of the skin in the process of construction of the object and definition of the architectural language is the main concern of this work. The first chapter depicts the intention is to build an understanding about each concept and its importance in the project by following a summarized reading of the History of Architecture. In the second chapter three works of Eduardo Souto de Moura are presented. The reading of the case studies is done by means of general concepts that have been introduced - form, structure and skin. The case studies represent different moments of the architect's work, thus allowing an approach to the evolution of his language. The form, which is attached to the physical image of the object is conceived geometrically in the plant and spatially materialized by its volume. The brief rereading of history makes it possible to understand, from the universality of the classical geometric forms to the spatial quality of the renaissance volume, the importance of the history of architecture as a referential to contemporary architecture. The structure determines the modulation and the metric. It establishes the rule of composition. The structure has a complementary relation with the form and skin. In the Greek architecture, the structure plays a decisive role in the spatial definition of the temple. It establishes the rhythm, the proportion and the module. The skin is connected with the definition of the outer membrane through materiality. The materiality is visible not only in the materials and textures, but also in the system of layers that form the skin of the building. The materiality and ornamentation make up a theme present in the history of architecture, from the heavy and massive walls of Roman Architecture to the membranes of minimum thickness of the modern buildings. Casa das Artes is a building that landmarks the definition of the initial language of Eduardo Souto de Moura. The wall box establishes the formal concept of the building, a dense volume formed by walls. The structure is hidden by the plans of stone. A resistant wall is simulated. The skin is worked with the walls of stone, of brick and areas of shinny glass. Edifício Burgo stands out due to its abstract objectuality. The prismatic form lies in the square open to the city. The structure of the peripheral pillars and concrete slab define the frontage. An orthogonal frame draws the composition of the structural frontage. The skin, made of different layers, develops itself with two variations that alternate with the solar orientation - one of stone and another one of glass. Casa na Serra da Arrábida represents a moment of evolution of the formal mechanicism of the previous houses. The compact and neoplastic box gives place to a body of boxes that associate themselves in a more complex fragmented volume. The theme of the design of doors and windows is hereby experimented. Eduardo Souto de Moura opens spans in walls structurally resistant, by using deepness to produce different plans of shade in the abstract skin.