Fábio Ferreira - Portugal / Switzerland אדריכלות ישראלית Architecture of Israel #138 August 2024 | 24 | in most of my recent projects I've been making an extra effort to work with local labour and local materials, in order to maintain the local aspect of building. It's true that the lack of environmental and climatic considerations highlight the need to enforce regulations, however environmental and climatic considerations have always been the starting point for any architectural planning... Absolutely. If we look at our ancestors, we realize how efficient their construction methods were. There is much to learn from how they adapted to any circumstance, using only local materials and local knowledge in response to changing needs and environmental conditions. That's why vernacular architecture is fascinating for me. Especially with globalization in more developed countries, their ancestral identity has been lost. Nonetheless, awareness and commitment to sustainability is increasing due to global warming. In Switzerland for example, there has been a huge effort to replace conventional construction methods with timber-framed buildings. This not only improves buildings in terms of energy and ecological efficiency, but also increases the speed of execution thanks to prefabrication. ... as well as its softer appearance and the experience of buildings, I must admit that this is what attracted me to two of your projects you sent me Those two projects are both in Aldeia do Meco, a village on Portugal's Atlantic coast, which means a lot to me. My grandparents were from there and I have great respect for this place. Before my project, there were already rural buildings with some history and identity which I wanted to preserve. My main focus was to combine the logical and functional simplicity of those typical rural constructions with the characteristics of a contemporary home. All this goes well together with public and private relationships, which also played an important role in the process, especially in terms of the access road. And truly, in both Casa do Meco and Pátio do Meco, the soft appearance you mentioned preserves the inner private garden and patio, while it is in the interior that the projects express our architectural efforts. It is this rather silent presence that we are talking about, since in the end, both buildings look like they've always been there. Let's further discuss your last sentence... what about the rather modernistic layout of the structure, that is, in my opinion, not a real traditional house, but a conceptual interpretation of the traditional internal courtyard, with all its benefits...that is, a protected outside space that creates a functional expansion of the interior As you say, Pátio do Meco is basically a modern interpretation and re-engineering of a rural heritage. The original dilapidated house near the street has been replaced by an identical one. From this new main house we reconstruct a hierarchical order of new abstract volumes that replaced the old barns and small out-buildings. This gesture creates an atmosphere of spatial and formal unity only visible from inside the courtyard. You previously mentioned the increasing need for compulsory green regulations, which in many places, especially in modern countries in which air conditioners are common, creates a situation where, instead of planning according to the conditions of place, architects plan according to (dummy) regulations In most cases, such as in Switzerland, regulations are a result of local conditions. There are minimum energy standards due to the extreme winters. On the other hand, and as you mention, the regulations end up limiting the architect's creativity, especially in the canton of Zürich where the legislation is extremely tight. In the case of Portugal it's slightly different. Although there are thermal requirements, there is the possibility of making enormous use of renewable energies. In any case, despite the thermal requirements and the installation of some mechanical elements required by law, I always try to guarantee both thermal comfort and natural ventilation. In the case of the two projects we are talking about, the exterior pergolas and wooden shutters guarantee effective sun protection in summer and allow Portugal's efficient winter sun to be used for natural heating. As a Portuguese born and educated architect who has the opportunity to practice in Switzerland, what do you think about recent architectural typologies whose essence is the ego of famous architects? Although Switzerland has a more demanding technical approach, conceptually it has similarities with Portugal. As for architectural typologies, especially in multi-family housing, that's where I find the biggest differences. Speaking of Switzerland, there are tighter and tighter rules, such as for example, apartments exposed to very noisy roads are not allowed to have bedrooms on that façade. This is of course debatable and in Portugal it doesn't exist yet, at least in consolidated cities. As we said earlier, this legislation in Switzerland means that architects, almost without exception, end up with similar solutions and typologies. All this legislation is forcing similar results, such as organic buildings and more alternative typologies for living. Another aspect is the size of the apartments, which tend to be smaller due to the high cost per square meter. Let's talk about a Portuguese architect who requested to build a house in Switzerland. Would your approach to the task be different today than, say 10 years ago? Count your spontaneous responses, without editing them too much... Well, actually what made me go to Switzerland was the more conceptual and poetic side of architects like Peter Zumthor, Valerio Olgiati, Peter Märkli... Although the experience helped me understand the technical advantage of Swiss architecture, my approach now would be very similar to what it would have been 10 years ago. "Place" shows us where we came from, "Budget" points to where we can head, and our talent takes care of the rest.
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