Intersubjetividade projetual - Entre a abstração e a circunstância. Projeto das piscinas do Clube de Natação de Valongo

Abstract

This dissertation aims to reflect about the design process of a swimming pool building intended for training athletes in different aquatic disciplines (pure swimming, artistic swimming and water polo). The project arises from the challenge presented by the Clube de Natação de Valongo, an institution that I represented as a senior athlete. In addition to the space for water tanks and changing rooms, essential for the functioning of the pools, the project also includes the design of complementary spaces such as a gym, cafeteria, auditorium and work spaces. At the end of this study process, a final architectural proposal will be presented which is able to answer the perceived multiple needs. The program for this new sports complex comes as the result of dialoguing with various representatives of the club, such as directors, coaches, athletes and technicians, in which the needs considered essential for the appropriate functioning of the sports spaces were identified. During these conversations there was also an opportunity to reflect on the current conditions of the club, enabling its members to form a constructive criticism of the current architecture, and of influencing the design for the new pools, preventing the continuation of some of the diagnosed problems. The project was developed on municipal land, located in the Municipality of Valongo, in the context of the Lagueirões neighborhood, where, in the past, this infrastructure was intended to be built, but, due to lack of financial support, it was never carried out. Starting from the project elaboration process, the focus of this academic study is on the interactions of the project development with the various constraints inherent to its circumstances, seeking to analyze the potential of these clashes in the formation of an "idea to project". In the process of idealizing architectural forms and spaces, the architect faces pre-established requirements, on which he reflects and seeks to provide answers, be they the program, the client's idiosyncrasies, the budget, the location, the topography of the land, the urban context, legislation, etc. This varied set of constraints intersects the abstractions/ideas of the design, forcing you to take a position in the development of your project options. In this proceeding the following questions emerge: - What decisions does the architect make in the confrontation between architecture, as a specific discipline; the self-imposed rules, resulting from your memories and the circumstances in which you project? - In the practice of architecture, which strategies are universal and which new possibilities may arise from the intersection of ideas with the specific conditions of the project? - How can the sense of abstraction remain at the conclusion of the work? Project practice appears as an opportunity to ground a personal response to these questions, based on the act of drawing. This emerges as a significant tool for exploring and understanding the intersections between the architect's ideas and the specific requirements of each project, providing a reflective approach throughout the process.