Research Line in Theory and History of Design
Advisor: Marcos Favero
Thesis: Tectonics of the Landscape: Nature, Design, and Architectural Culture
Defense Date: 31/03/2020
Abstract:
Starting from the inevitable need for humans to transform the natural environment in constructing their habitat, this work investigates a design culture that aims to highlight the points of contact and interactions between nature and artifice by proposing transformative actions on the landscape through creative effort and technique.
The central role of architecture discussed here is not only about constructing essential shelters to ensure survival against natural contingencies but also about the need to transform nature into culture. This conversion process is presented by the investigation as the very sense of landscape, a key concept in addressing the issues raised by the research. Based on a certain theoretical approach to this and the discussions developed in the research on tectonics and material practice, the work characterizes the concept of landscape tectonics as a principle of action for the design culture in question. A principle through which a particular way of thinking and designing architecture will be analyzed, establishing the foundation for proposing an approach to a type of project that stems from the articulations, the joints between nature, landscape, and artifice. This theoretical discussion informs the critical analysis of Paulo Mendes da Rocha’s proposal for Montevideo Bay.
The research demonstrated that the investigated design culture contributes to constructing an architectural discourse grounded in the instrumental power of architecture to transform reality in a critical and imaginative way, enriching the cultural world of humans.