Title  The house of the "Brazilian" emigrant in the construction of the ideal in architecture. The paradigmatic case of the Architecture of the "Brazilian House", built in the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, in the evolution of the house's program and its meanings. Case study applied to the Municipality of Oliveira de Azeméis
Author  António José Sequeira Afonso de Deus
Advidor  Francisco António Ribeiro da Costa
Year  2011
Institution  Faculty of Communication, Architecture, Arts and Information Technologies, University of Porto
Degree  Masters
Area  Architecture
Keywords  Architecture, emigration, single-family homes
URI  http://hdl.handle.net/10437/10310

Abstract

This study investigates the transformations that took place in single-family homes built by Portuguese-Brazilian emigrants in the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, specifically in the period between 1890 and 1910. During the period under study, countless houses were built, especially in places where there was a significant exodus of emigrants to Brazil, transforming the landscape of the towns and cities of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, a situation that characterizes some of the old towns today, some of which have the status of cities. This is the case of the town of Oliveira de Azeméis, the administrative seat of a municipality marked by an exodus marked by emigration, which is evident in the "marks of return" on the houses and some industries that emigrants build after their return. For this study, which is based on a sample, supported by a survey carried out at the municipality, the aim is to identify the existence of constant elements associated with the construction process of the houses of "Brazilian" emigrants, which vary according to the periods of departure and consequent return, revealing the variations within the themes that are projected onto the architecture of the houses, a condition that will be common to other periods, such as emigration to France, to northern Europe, in general, in the mid-20th century. In the renewed gestures related to living, the emigrant broadens the meaning expressed in the building, particularly in the organization of space, and in the meaning expressed in the image, giving the house a concrete ideal, the materialization of the successes achieved. As an essay, this study formulates the hypothesis that the "Brazilian house" introduces an innovation/enhancement, redefining the meaning of architectural object, which corresponds to an evolution of the single-family housing program in the national context, making it possible to compare it with the reality in other European countries, especially with regard to the influence of the current aesthetic, Art Nouveau. The prejudice inherent in the status of emigrant, in addition to the fact that different elements of society participated in the successive waves of emigration, from different social strata, and from different places, mainly in the north of Portugal, makes it difficult to read the historical/sociological framework. In the context of Portuguese architectural culture, from the perspective of the History of Architecture and Urbanism, it is important to clarify the validity and originality of the houses built by Portuguese-Brazilian emigrants, which is what this study aims to achieve by formulating a model of a "Brazilian House".