As abóbadas das casas de Serpa. Apontamentos sobre a arquitectura abobadada de tijolo no Baixo Alentejo

07/05/2024

The use of brick vaults is widespread in the south of Portugal, but rarely a cause for particular scrutiny by the regional inhabitant who is already familiar with the phenomenon. While some local "scholars" persist in the myth of its Islamic origin and continued use in the territory, their chronological, geographical, formal, constructive and functional parameters have only been studied occasionally. This dissertation seeks to provide a unified response to the many mysteries surrounding the brick vaulted constructions that mainly populate the Baixo Alentejo region. Within this vast territorial scope, we intend to analyse the variation of the aforementioned parameters in case studies of Serpa, a municipality with an extensive and qualified heritage in vaulted constructions, which show refined and complex techniques even in more utilitarian or popular buildings. The choice of housing to carry out the study is due to the clarity with which this typology allow to demonstrate the adaptation of vaulted building to various economic, ideological, functional and technical constraints, particularly in some examples whose overall architectural sophistication contrasts with the lack of studies or even basic heritage listing devoted to them.

Authors in the community:

• 

  S

  Sérgio Moutinho de Sousa Costa

  ist181691

Supervisors of this institution:

• 

  J

  João Rosa Vieira Caldas

  ist13957

civil-engineering - Civil engineering

Keywords

• abóbadas de tijolo
• arquitectura vernácula
• habitação
• história da construção
• Serpa
• Baixo Alentejo
• brick vaults
• vernacular architecture
• housing
• construction history

por - Portuguese

Instituto Superior Técnico