Reconstrução de uma memória insular. Proposta de reabilitação da antiga Fábrica do Álcool da Lagoa, Ilha de São Miguel, Açores

Abstract

A ruin, a project: between a persisting past and an adapting future This dissertation proposes the rehabilitation of the former Alcohol Factory of Lagoa, an industrial complex from the late XIX century that endures as a testimony to the economic, social, and collective identity of São Miguel island. Given the advanced state of abandonment and deterioration of the former industrial complex, the research develops a critical reflection on different approaches to industrial heritage, seeking to define strategies capable of reactivating a space now considered obsolete and derelict. The aim is therefore to develop a line of thought that culminates in a conscious and well-founded architectural gesture, capable of transforming the ruin into a living organism. The methodological approach is structured around the convergence of place, theory, and design, understanding historical legacy and memory as elements that transcend the mere record of the past and become the foundations of architectural intervention. This articulation gives rise to a multifunctional proposal that, by taking advantage of the factory's monumental scale, establishes a socially relevant intervention fully integrated into the city's contemporary dynamics. The project aspires to restore to Lagoa the centrality of a place once vital to the archipelago, and of an industry that, in the past, represented a beacon of progress and hope for an isolated people. Reflecting on the future of the former factory proves to be an essential exercise in material regeneration, demonstrating that architecture can act as a tool of mediation between a past that persists and a future that adapts.