Dobra e redobra: um estudo exploratório da dobradura de papel no auxílio à visualização e à concepção da forma arquitetônica

Abstract

In contemporary university education, learning must be experienced as the result of a process of continuous construction, in which learning occurs through dynamic search processes, and is acquired in an integrated way. The present thesis is based on the fact that a significant part of the students enters Architecture and Urbanism courses in general and, especially in UFRN, with difficulties of formal and spatial perception, a fact that has made impaired learning of the architectural project. Thus, to optimize the teaching / learning relationship, we argue that such a subject should be debated in an integrated way to other curricular components, especially associating geometry teaching with that of design, and using methods / techniques consistent with contemporary advances in the area. In order to find ways that could facilitate the development of visualization and the formal conception of the students, the object of study of this thesis was the use of paper folding techniques as a tool to aid the development of these skills in the first year of the architecture course and urbanism. Question: How do applied geometries, more specifically the folding techniques, influence the visualization and the formal conception? And how to use it to provide a better integration of the contents of the area of representation and language and architecture project in the first year of the course? It is hypothesized that, 1) the folding techniques are instruments capable of collaborating with the apprehension of the knowledge of geometry and promote the development of skills related to the visualization and conception of the form; 2) the application of exercises based on these techniques to students of the first year of the course, will be fundamental for the development of these skills. The general objective was to understand the insertion of new geometry instruments applied to formal design activities at the beginning of the course, pointing out elements for the integration of content between the Representation and Language and Architecture Design areas. To support this objective, three specific objectives were established: 1. To verify the effectiveness of the use of folding techniques in the development of formal visualization; 2. To verify the effectiveness of the use of folding techniques in the development of the formal design of architectural objects; 3. Establish recommendations for the improvement of teaching in this field that may subsidize the creation or reformulation of relevant curricular components. Besides the bibliographic research, the method to reach the proposed objectives involved the accomplishment of didactic experiences with undergraduate students in AU. Paper Folding techniques were used in these workshops; Surface Development; Origami and tessellation, fold creating repeating patterns that can be used in formal design. It was verified the potential of the fold as a tool of conception, since it allowed: the exploration of the concept of continuity and complexity; favoring the creation process; the vitalization of geometry, and the optimization of the teaching / learning relationship. The results of the empirical study indicated the potentiality of the use of the paper model; they pointed out the workshops as experiences capable of favoring the conception processes. Besides these factors, it was possible to perceive the presence of mimicry and geometry in the initial moments of the design of the form, through an integration exercise, defined by the methodology. These results supported the recommendations for the teaching of architectural design focused on the initial periods.