Quinta da Malagueira, Evora, Portugal:

Urbanism, Culture and Experience

 

“The end of the street – the hill, a natural island of the city, remains unchanged – must be reached by means of this corridor. It is unnecessary to create axes, centres, or visual closures that emphasise this relationship. The green clearing and the rural hill. That is enough. The city has no limits. The architecture is the skilful and wonderful play of built volumes and fragments of nature, under the light.” ( Siza, 1994:74)

With this statement the architect of Quinta da Malagueira, Alvaro Siza, clearly explains one of the main strategies of his social housing project. Malagueira dates from 1977 and is city extension of Evora, the administrative centre in Alentejo region, Portugal. The urban project has been developed in order to improve the quality of life for low-income citizens.

Following the landscape, which naturally highlights the composition, Siza`s design confronts old and new. The new development is bound to historical infrastructure, which takes its precedent from Evora`s ancient aqueduct. In some parts connecting the buildings, in other establishing the line between the different phases of the project, the conduit becomes a significant part of the city extension. The presence of the structure reminds a spine, which follows the buildings through the entire area, identifying public squares and creating pedestrians.

With this essay, following the infrastructure, I will explore the created public spaces and how their qualities affect the outdoor activities. To analyse in depth the arrangement of the open civic squares and communal facilities I will examine Siza`s initial design concept and contrast with the completion of the project.

Malagueira has been designed as a substantial expansion of Evora, which can independently exist. The architect planned a series of public buildings and civic squares, some of which were completed, and others discarded due to the change of political climate. The rejection of these buildings has a significant impact on the social activities in the areas and even absent of such.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

Fleck, B. (1995) Alvaro Siza. London: Spon

Lynch, K. (2010) The Image of the City. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press

London: W. W. Norton Publishing

 

Gehl, J. (2011) Life Between Buildings; Using Public Space. London: Island Press

 

Maurice, B. (1968) Planning for people. England: Latimer Trend & Company Ltd Polymouth

 

Hertzberger, H. (2016) Lessons for student in Architecture. (Seven edition) Rotterdam: nai010

 

Mota, N. (2014) Between Populism and Dogma: Álvaro Siza’s Third Way.  Footprint. Vol.5(1), pp.35-58. Available at: https://doaj.org/article/4e3823a15fea4ebc85dc202821735d5e (Accessed: 02/12/2018)

 

Zapatel, H.A. (1998) The Malagueira Quarter in Evora, Portugal. Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture International Conference. Available at: http://apps.acsa-arch.org/resources/proceedings/indexsearch.aspx?txtKeyword1=%22Zapatel%2C+Juan+Antonio%22&ddField1=1&sort=4 (Accessed: 02/12/2018)

 

Woodman, E. (2015) Revisiting Siza: An archaeology of the future, The Architectural Review. Available at: https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/viewpoints/revisiting-siza-an-archaeology-of-the-future/8677551.article  (Accessed: 02/12/2018)

Essay Question
In this essay you will write about one aspect of a particular contemporary city. This may be one street, neighbourhood, community or even a single block. Your discussion should include:
• urban architecture
• urban space
• urban design
• urban infrastructure
Your essay must draw on the subjects, and reading material presented in the lectures. Do not simply present facts; write a critical investigation.

Your essay will:
• engage with critical perspectives on urbanism
• construct an argument around these perspectives
• use your own research and thinking
• NOT only be about the history of a city
• NOT describe the details of your unit design project