Reflexão sobre o cardenho duriense. Abordagem teórico-projetual na região do Alto Douro Vinhateiro. Intervenção sobre a Quinta do Cruzeiro - habitação coletiva para trabalhadores sazonais

Abstract

This theoretical-practical exercise arises from the need for a response, a potential solution, to a real and emerging problem. It started from dialogue and, consequently, from a mutual will between a speaker (the author) and an interlocutor, to create a new reality in the face of an emerging issue, thus reflecting itself as the starting point of the work. The ambition to highlight the common interest of a region, born from a collective need, transcends the limited dialogue between the two agents. Although the interlocutor may be understood as a client, the focus does not merely reflect the simple fulfillment of a design solution, but a greater motivation. As a manifestation of this collective interest, the project is directed towards the Alto Douro Wine Region, where it revitalizes and adds to the built heritage. A place laden with memory, with an urgent need for answers to its social problems, linked to the vital activity of viticulture. The centuriesold interconnection between the landscape and Man raises questions about the evolution of workers' ways of life. The workforce settles or seasonally disperses, which motivates reflection on the evolution of the ways of life of the population under a seasonal work regime. It is at this point that this essay focuses, on the potential of a promising reality that coexists with the local communities and simultaneously with the recurring tourist community. Quinta do Cruzeiro, located in Vale de Mendiz, serves as a stage for simulating a reality that dignifies the life of the vineyard worker. The reversibility and adaptability of spaces are irrefutable maxims in the conception of temporary accommodation, facilitating constant human management. The design allows itself to be conducted by the historical context of the region and, above all, by the landscape shaped by Man, as well as by examples of seasonal architectural strategy, in order to clarify the design decisions.