A Rua de Sá da Bandeira no Porto. Topologia(s) do habitar colectivo

Abstract

The aim of this research is to show the transformations of a specific urban area, the Sá da Bandeira's Street in Oporto. The study includes all the new collective housing buildings, built by privates. In this way, the analytical methodologies were divided in a second reading of the available information about this street at the "archive" and in a "topological approach" to the building plans.Regarding the two dimensions of urban construction referred - "street" and "collective housing", Sá da Bandeira's Street became a "laboratory".While urban part, its specificity is greatly due to a long consolidation period, crossed by territory metamor¬phosis, as well as the urban strategies of those involved at the city construction. Thought initially as a 'channel-street', held by its own boundaries it will turn into an 'event-street'. Or with many "events".In what concerns to the collective dwelling, this street holds a "group" where we can read different transformation procedures, related to the territory and to the building plans. In this system, there is an ongo-ing trial on the topology of the plans, meaning, on the configuration of the plan and the position/logical distribu-tion of its elements.The twelve identified buildings, the foundations of the case study, have distinct characteristics as well as distinct production times. They don't share the same conceptual matrix. However, this doesn't mean that they don't follow the same specific rules, in regard to construction processes. We are referring to conception and construction tacit rules, at a topological point of view, that appear at the shape and at the distribution of the plans.These logical principles are closely related with the city's tissue changes. In particular, they are con-nected with Sá da Bandeira's transformations. They reaffirm an "urban identity" in an unequivocal way.