Formação do arquiteto e urbanista para a preservação de áreas e edifícios de valor patrimonial: diálogos entre a teoria e o exercício projetual

Abstract

This thesis aims to establish a grid of essential knowledges to prepare Architecture and Urbanism students in Brazil for project practice in areas and buildings with heritage, historical and cultural interest. We believe it is necessary to constantly discuss the profiles and patterns that make sure the professional – architect and urbanist – is qualified to face the current social, cultural e and economic challenges. Among these challenges, this thesis highlights the preservation of preexistent heritage value. This research´s study object corresponds to an analysis of the teaching of heritage preservation (within the scope of Architecture and Urbanism graduation courses), and to the creation of a theoretical-methodological framework to the formation of the future professionals (within the scope of graduation) that will eventually develop projects of architectural intervention on buildings and areas with heritage value. The starting point is the premise that Architecture and Urbanism´s teaching will only enable a professional formation that reveals abilities and competencies for the preservation of built heritage if there´s a clear relationship between theory and projectual practice. Thus, to achieve our goals, two research strategies have been defined: 1) Bibliographical research on themes related to preservation and architectural intervention on buildings and areas of recognized heritage value, highlighting some of the main theoretical-operative models, which are the result of years of reflection 2) Empirical research (case studies) to critically investigate and analyse the process of teachinglearning of heritage preservation in the courses of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil´s Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) and Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE), and in Italy´s Università degli Studi “Gabriele d’Annunzio” di Chieti-Pescara (Ud´A). The proposed grid of essential knowledges stems from theoretical reflection, case study analysis and its validation by professors with expertise in the subject area. Its definition was based on five fundamental questions: “Why preserve?”, “Who to preserve?”, “What to preserve?”, “How should we preserve?” and “Am I preserving?”, each of them related to theoretical-operative principles that directly influence the project´s proposal-oriented stage.