Centro Contemporâneo de Arquitectura. Reabilitação da antiga Central do Ouro

Abstract

The XX century changed the museological world, first due to the breakdown with the Classical tradition and the introduction of a new way of conceiving the inner space - a neutral space -, and second for the boom of constructions of museums all over the world. However, there are some paradigmatic examples, the ones that outstand the most were built by the end of the century and remain remarkable due to the urban innovation and socio cultural promotion that they had. Increasingly the museum became to represent the image of the city in which it is located, its conceived as a mean of modernization and cultural promotion. So, it had to adapt to the needs of the consumer society that increasingly seeks this kind of institution as a recreational site. With this, Culture starts to appear as another consumer good worldwide. The museum as an institution has been introducing new methods of exhibiting such as videos and installations that changed the character of the inner space, as a static place, to become a place of knowledge flows and also, in the elaboration of them. Consequently architectural museums have different exhibition, visual, hearing and tactile needs that the own typology and inner space needs to fulfill and be able to keep encouraging. Therefore, in this thesis it's proposed the creation of a contemporary architecture centre in the former 'Fábrica do Gás', in Porto. The main goal is to find an answer, in form of a proposal based in the historical context of the emplacement and the existent buildings. This essay, that isn't more than that, also pretend to be an approach to the issue of intervention in the built. Thus, we pretend to infer about the act of design in buildings with history. How to react to this reality? Which answer is the most suitable move? Rehabilitate? Restore? Demolish? Add?