Interpretar a ausência. Proposta de interpretação na ruína do Sanatório Dr. Jerónimo Lacerda no Caramulo

Abstract

This dissertation proposes a reflection on architectural intervention in contexts of ruin and absence, based on the development of a proposal for the intervention in the ruins of the Dr. Jerónimo de Lacerda Sanatorium, in Caramulo. Built in the early twentieth century as the main structure of Portugal's largest sanatorium complex, the building became one of the principal symbols of the village's urban, social and landscape identity, remaining, even after its partial demolition in 2022, a significant presence within the collective memory of the place. Its recent partial demolition intensified the reflection on the difficulty of preserving large-scale heritage and on the role of architecture in the face of physical loss. In this context, the dissertation explores the possibility of intervening in a place where much of the built structure has disappeared, yet where historical, symbolic and urban values persist, raising the central question: how can absence be interpreted? The research is developed through an analysis of the territory, the urban evolution and the architectural identity of Caramulo, articulated with a theoretical reflection on ruin and memory, and supported by relevant case studies. The proposed programme seeks to respond to the village's current needs, restoring dynamism and projecting a new future for a territory now marked by abandonment. The intervention in the ruins of the Dr. Jerónimo de Lacerda Sanatorium is therefore intended as a first impulse towards the progressive reactivation of the remaining structures of the former sanatorium complex. Based on this framework, the proposal aims to demonstrate that intervention in contexts of ruin is not limited to material preservation, but may also constitute an opportunity to reactivate the place, valuing its past while designing to the present, through a critical and sustainable approach to architectural practice, established through a dialogue between architecture, landscape and memory.