Non finito: 2024.01_CoutoDeCima

Abstract

Two overlapping realities, between what persists and what adapts. This is a project for a family house in Couto de Cima, Viseu. This implies the transformation of an existing building, divided between an unoccupied ground floor, which preserves a picturesque atmosphere, and an inhabited upper floor, where a popular-contemporary aesthetic is evident. It is explored a narrative structure that is divided into two complementary approaches. At first, a set of fragments is gathered: texts, references, approaches, readings and hesitations. A free but intentional composition as a method. An exercise in approaching the uncertainty of the project, in which thought is constructed through writing. The second part presents a graphical summary: final drawings, rigorous surveys and technical documents. A phased reading of the process, which reveals and supports the adopted strategy. Non finito, the expression that gives the dissertation its title, refers to the mannerist concept frequently associated with Michelangelo1. In this context, it serves as an appropriate tool to reflect about the unfinished and to recognize a space in permanent construction. The project is seen as an open gesture, which does not close in on itself.