Água enquanto matéria construtora no projecto de arquitectura paisagista

Mestrado em Arquitectura Paisagista - Instituto Superior de Agronomia

The object of this study is Water. It focuses on the various aspects that, when taken together, make it possible to understand Water as a crucial constitutive component of the various different elements of the landscape. When applied in particular to the Alfama district of Lisbon – in accordance with the principle of sustainability and from a holistic and systemic perspective –, the emphasis on Water as an overarching theme makes it possible to come up with, and develop, a “project concept” that addresses the specific hydrological problems of this urban area, without neglecting the formal and spatial dimensions. It is shown in this study that it is possible to consider and address the hydrological and the spatial simultaneously, and that one can take advantage of both in order to come up with solutions that are sustainable both from a spatial and architectural point of view (i.e. which are well-suited to the cultural and historical context) and from a biophysical one (i.e. which take into account the ecological base of the area). Insofar as it seeks to provide a holistically sustainable solution to the current problems associated with effectively draining, collecting and managing water in this urban district, this study constitutes such an attempt. The solutions suggested in this study are the result of a local-level approach carried out at the scale of the urban fabric, which made it possible to identify the various existing imbalances with regard to water drainage in this area. This approach can in fact be adopted in other urban contexts, provided that the necessary adaptations are made.