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This research aims to understand how the temporal dimensions - the past and the present - can be regarded as tools and influences for architectural practice in existing contexts, with the concept of 'historic city' in mind.
In this sense, the present dissertation aims to formulate a design proposal, within an academic framework, to understand that intervening in the pre-existing is both a virtue and a challenge. Therefore, a case study is undertaken to address these premises, and for this reason, the Antiga Fábrica de Encerados is presented as a relevant subject for revitalizing the Massarelos riverside. It acts as a link between two important streets due to its historical density and the distinct scales it encompasses. Thus, with the design thinking of architect Nuno Brandão Costa, it is understood that good architectural practice involves solving context-specific problems. Moreover, it must be capable of responding to legal and programmatic constraints, formulating a proposal that transcends these limitations.
Architecture can transform a place according to its historical and physical context to allow for a continued built and cultural legacy, while also being sensitive to existing scales and needs to bring the community closer to the city. It has the ability to maintain its 'character' while continually evolving, as society serves as a remnant of its transformation. For this reason, it was relevant to study the relationship between the place and the community, considering it as a space that offers freedom, comfort, and adaptability to build a context with meaning and depth.In this process, the intervention in the ruin is guided by considerations of time and memory, exploring different approaches to the existing structure. Next, the contextual deepening of the place is explored, particularly during the industrial period. Finally, the concepts and interests developed throughout the dissertation are applied in a design proposal that hypothetically explores them offering a program that benefits the surrounding community.
Thus, a residential ensemble is designed with a certain anonymity, yet also with differentiation in relation to the place. This project engages with this urban reality with predictability and functional representation both inside and around the ruins. The reconverted ensemble reveals its new function through an industrially inspired language, characterized by the stereotomy of a light façade that meets the pre-existing granite. As a result, the ruin is inhabited and transformed into twenty-seven residential units, adjusting its typology and access according to the limitations of the structure. Finally, by merging the 'new' and the 'old', a composition is formed that inhales the 'before' and exhales the 'now', establishing a balance between the past and the present, mediated by memory.