Contributo para uma Ética Ambiental em Arquitetura. Uma Casa no Algarve entre o Bioclimático e o Vernacular

Abstract

Since antiquity, passive strategies and devices have been used to help the architectural design process. Later in history, Vitrúvio and Alberti expressed in their treatises some of the most important prin- ciples that underlie the harmonic relationship that is intended to be established between architecture and the environment in which it arises. The vernacular and the bioclimatic come together to form the basis of an architecture that intends to be ethically aware of its impact on the environment. A set of moments relevant to devel- opment is problematized, at the time of architectural creation, during the 20th century. A set of seven principles that are consid- ered essential to passive design are explained. The theme of the vernacular of Algarve is deepened to its essence- the architecture of the Mediterranean. A set of works is analyzed that portray the contemporary narrative in the Algarve and that follow a set of prin- ciples - legal rules, program, bioclimatic principles and construc- tion techniques - that somehow resemble the conditions of the design exercise, which will constitute the final part of the work. This dissertation intends to relate three essential themes, environ- mental ethics, bioclimatic architecture and the Algarve vernacu- lar, to demonstrate that these three aspects can exist in a single dimension and serve the same purpose. Through the symbiot- ic relationship of three essential pillars to any architectural pro- ject - Culture, Climate and Available Materials - it is intended to formalize the design of a solution for a House in the Algarve, in a land where Water and Light are the most prominent elements.