Rui Goes Ferreira. Ensaios sobre uma obra interrompida. Madeira 1956-1978

Abstract

This is the story of an architect. The story of my grandfather Rui Goes Ferreira whose buildings and work are of utmost importance in the characterization of Madeira Island's architecture between the sixties and seventies. Today almost forgotten. This essay aims to uncover and dissect his practice, hoping to learn, think and spread his legacy. Amongst the various programs, building sites and circumstances, as well as activities and interests, the fields of Architecture, Urbanism, Art and Society can be identified. Graduated in the School of Oporto, Goes Ferreira moved to Madeira soon after his graduation and with him his reflexion on the social role of the architect. A work executed by a human to a human, Goes Ferreira looks at the landscape and the place as cultural data that needs to be integrated in the final structure. He brings human scale to architecture. It is humanized architecture. Learning about his work meant, at first, to be able to recognise the constructed reality, the memories and the documents that then lead to a deeper reflection. The reflection process was conducted by a "wordplay" (the words of Rui Goes Ferreira) that can only be found in his memoranda. The aim was to build a narrative about the work of this architect through the remaining memories and traces. The narrative comes in two separate moments exploring two different yet complementary ways of telling his story. A visual narrative accompanies a written narrative, admitting that the opposite is also valid.