A Casa, o Lugar e o Espaço Entre

Abstract

The human being and their space hold an essential relationship , being intrinsic since it is necessarily from that connection that the individual reference to existence is created. The house, especially , is understood to be the most intimate place of the being, the place where the individual attaches themselves to the world. In this dissertation, the house is presented not only as a physical shelter but also as a place where the individual creates their most intense memories and where they establishes their deepest roots. The house is a place of comfort , where the human being belongs, marks their starting point, and decides to return after departing to the external world, often chaotic and challenging . This is, therefore , the connecting element between the private sphere (the home) and the public sphere (the community collective space). This transition between the public and private poles is made through the "liminal space" where symbolic "bridges" are created between the individual and their surrounding space. In this dissertation, four major themes are essentially explored, connected by critical and reflective thought: the house as the most intimate and personal place of the individual; the territory as a public and social place; the transitional space between the two spheres: the liminal; and lastly, the individual themselves, interpreting their own spatial experience through the concepts of neuroarchitecture and biophilia. Starting from a theoretical analysis anchored to the vision described by authors like Otto Friedrich Bollnow, Gaston Bachelard, Jan Gehl, Martin Heidegger, Juhani Pallasmaa , among others, the inhabit is recognized as a symbiotic practice between the human being and the space, whose first contact occurs still in the mother's womb, the being's "first major house," where they create the first guidelines and notions of comfort and well-being. Based on the analysis of the "Vale de Campanhã" territory, chosen as the object of study , a map of the ways of living is drawn, depicting a landscape marked by significant temporal contrasts and a fragmented urban area. Through multiple field trips, photographic records, and historical and demographic data, the way of inhabiting this territory is investigated to better understand its challenges and potentialities . Hence, through the analysis of the concrete reality witnessed in "Vale de Campanhã", what it means to live in the territory is questioned while theoretical reflections are articulated with the practical aspects observed in the location. The urban and socio-cultural context of the 20th and 21st centuries is also analyzed in this dissertation, highlighting the huge impact that accelerated industrialization, globalization, and urbanization have, intensely affecting the way contemporary society inhabits . The identity crisis resulting from all these drastic changes in the world leads to a complete disconnection of the individual from their surroundings and themselves. A transformation of domestic spaces is observed-from the most intimate to the more collective -while we identify these social changes, which translate into the urgency to regain a sense of belonging and reconnect with the individual's most primal necessities, such as contact with nature. Briefly, the liminal space, known as the intermediate scale that connects the house to the urban territory, may reveal itself to be crucial in creating more humanized cities that are in harmony with the natural environment of human beings . These spaces possess the ability to transform social relations, enhance individuals ' quality of life, and recover the balance between the public environment and the private one. In the case of "Vale de Campanhã," analyzing the transitional spaces between the residential area and the urban area reveals the urgency to regenerate the liminal space, to "sew" the urban fabric while strengthening the sense of community.