Reabilitação do Património Edificado: Arquitectura "dos Brasileiros"- Casa José Florêncio Soares, Fafe

Abstract

The need and desire to preserve as many memories of the past and its representations as possible, is a keystone to the discussion on the issue of rehabilitation in Architecture. The house, being the main insignia of the subject, must be regarded as an element to preserve and protect, a situation that becomes mandatory if it has cultural and historical value and tells us about the way of life of an era, standing as an absolutely essential piece of its study and categorization. Being a Fafe's child, a city in which Architecture has many vestiges of what was called the houses of the 'Brazilians', I've been witnessing years of decay, degradation and even demolition of these forgotten symbols of the city. Therefore, there is an evident need to create conditions and incentives to aid not only the disclosure of information, but also to make an inventory of these important remains. The effort to understand this indifference towards the cultural and urban identity of the city, showing in reverse the artistic, in general and specifically the architectural potential of the 'Returned Brazilians' was the motto for this study. In this sense this thesis explores, practically, the role of architecture not only as a functional science, but also as an opinion maker and sensitizer. Recurring to Local Heritage as a model to the intervention, our choice to be the face of the rehabilitation proposal here presented as Centre of Interpretation - Fafe of the 'Brazilians' was the House José Florêncio Soares. In addition, to the historical and social issues that led the Portuguese of the 19th century to emigrate to Brazil approach, we also analyze the formal issues there seized by them and brought back to their native lands, focusing on the importance they had for the development and awareness of what is today the city of Fafe. Simultaneously, we have developed a detailed and rigorous set of survey work, which served as the basis for this proposal. This project also presents an up to date study of the locality, characterizing it in terms of its physical and human components, as an effort to show how this proposal could revitalize and boost the population and the town, in general, maximizing the invested capital and consolidating future prospects, serving as a Research Centre for passing information this period of which something is still to be revealed.