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- Learning from Tradition: Vernacular Built Heritage of Madeira (Portugal), a Sustainable ProposalPublication . Martins, Ana Maria Tavares; Vieira, Elma Rute Nascimento; Carlos, Jorge S.; Nepomuceno, MiguelThe archipelago of Madeira (Portugal), of volcanic origin and situated in the intraplate region of the African plate, was formed during the Miocene and seats in a full oceanic domain. Since the settlement of the island (15th century), several destructive landslides have happened. In the Island of Madeira, housing is an important expression of the action of man over nature, thus creating a harmonious landscape between the built and its surroundings. In response to the accentuated Topography, terraced platforms appeared to soften this inclination. Vernacular building traditions are repeatedly cited in the academic literature as exemplary models of environmental practice. Therefore, research that addresses the vernacular traditions of the Island of Madeira may emphasize its potential for continuity and viability for maintenance and rehabilitation. Sustainability is indissolubly linked to vernacular architecture and the lessons learned from this architecture of the past can teach us which knowledge to apply in the future. The demand for sustainable buildings with minimal environmental impact is increasing, thus leading the construction industry to adopt new technologies for building design. Achieved for generations, this architecture shows us the art of a population in the construction. The rural housing of Madeira revealed itself as a wise design, where the masters of the craft created a perfect communion between the space, utility, comfort and the volumetric balance, thus creating a new artificial element that connects perfectly with the natural space. Passive strategies have been used around the world for centuries. In the last decades, inhabitants became dependent on mechanical systems with rising economic and environmental impacts. Learning from the past to understand how houses evolved to respond to the surrounding environment is important. The analysis of the local vernacular dwellings will provide insight into well-adapted popular solutions to deal with the local climatic conditions in order to promote responsive passive building technologies and a sustainable proposal is also presented.
- Essence of Daylight in the Cistercian Monastic Church of S. Bento de Cástris, Évora, PortugalPublication . Martins, Ana Maria Tavares; Carlos, Jorge S.Natural light in the Cistercian churches is closely linked not only with the liturgical requirements at the “officium” but also with the canonical hours based on the "ora et labora" dictated by the Rule of St. Benedict. The Cistercian architecture, in its beginnings (12th century forward) is characterized by austerity, simplicity and the play of light and shadow that gives value to the monastic architectural space itself, making it perfect for a contemplative experience. In the Cistercian Monastery the church is the central piece of the monastic building. Nave, transept and apse are the main architectural components to which is added the choir. This paper contextualizes the importance and close connections of natural light, within the Cistercian Monasteries architecture. Thus the essence of daylight is analyzed within the Church of the Monastery of S. Bento de Cástris, in Évora, Portugal. This former Monastery (13th - 19th centuries) includes the church, at the southeastern corner which has not only a high choir, but also a low lateral choir (within the presbytery). Its unchanged exterior walls are made of solid masonry. Although the function of the walls is primarily structural, the windows allow the daylight to penetrate the space of the church. The church has two external façades facing northeast and southeast. The combined orientation effect of the church’s main axis and the sun trajectory determines how the sunlight reaches the interior of this architectural structure. This study presents the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the luminous environment in the church of S. Bento de Cástris, being the first based on the authors’ perception of the effect of the daylight within the different areas of the enclosed space. The appreciation of the spatial experiences was supported by quantitative daylight simulations that were conducted in selected areas within the space. With this paper is intended to contribute to the debate about the specificity of daylight, in the context of Cistercian architecture.
- Survey on Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Vernacular Houses in Madeira (Portugal)Publication . Martins, Ana Maria Tavares; Vieira, Elma Rute Nascimento; Carlos, Jorge S.Vernacular housing in the Island of Madeira (Archipelago of Madeira, Portugal) is built anonymously. This architecture is made by the people and for the people without the aid of an architect. This built heritage demonstrates the relationship between the population and its surroundings, through the care with which they treated the climatic constraints and that is clearly related to the seasonal variation of temperature, regardless of cultural differences and of the level of development of each community. The Island of Madeira has temperate climates characterized by mild temperatures all year round. The climate is largely influenced by the Eastern branch of the Azores anticyclone especially from spring to autumn. These buildings are strongly marked by an agricultural economy and are characterized by great regional diversity. The agricultural feature took care of the fertile alluvial land, giving rise to the first settlements. However, with the growth of the population began the conquest of the coast, occupying the dense forest that provided them with good timber for local consumption and for export. With the land tamed, the next challenge was to control the waters, the first paths between the places of difficult access, which carried the waters of irrigation at various locations, including the north and the south shores. The built vernacular heritage of the Island of Madeira had a primary function of shelter, and then housing and nowadays new uses are being implemented. The research and study of the essence, the behaviour, the possibilities of traditional technologies used in a specific territory are like the rediscovery, always renewed, of the profound meaning of the Portuguese architecture. This paper analyses through surveys whether a very specific type of vernacular heritage housing in the Island of Madeira provides comfort. In fact, questionnaire responses from the initial survey regarding 66 vernacular houses were analysed to understand the residents' satisfaction with the existing conditions through post-occupancy evaluation. Several variables were associated with dwelling and thermal comfort. This way, a post-occupancy evaluation is proposed including energy monitoring for fine-tuning and increasing energy efficiency as well as for gathering knowledge for planners and developers. This study not only provides valuable information for future housing sustainable rehabilitation but also it may enable the identification by the Local Authority of ways of improving the quality of life for residents.
- Built Heritage Research and History of Architecture: Light and Acoustic in the Cistercian Monastic Church of S. Bento de Cástris (Portugal)Publication . Martins, Ana Maria Tavares; Carlos, Jorge S.The research on the Cistercian legacy in Portugal is an innovative multidisciplinary study. Consequently, the results achieved in this research have many different approaches: the former monasteries and their architecture are the main subjects concerning morphology, architectonic rehabilitation but also acoustics, thermal comfort, or natural light. This research, carried out at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the University of Beira Interior (DECA-UBI), was developed in connection with two other research centres - Lab2PT (Landscape, Heritage and Territory Laboratory) and CIDEHUS (Interdisciplinary Centre for History, Culture and Societies). In 2015, the curriculum of the Integrated Master Degree in Architecture of the University of Beira Interior underwent revision. Consequently, it was needed to allocate more time to the teaching of History of Architecture and the requirement to assign specific syllabus to the Portuguese History of Architecture, which is emphasized by the specific and multidisciplinary research performed linking with other sciences of engineering. The natural light in the Cistercian churches is closely linked not only with the liturgical requirements at the officium but also with the canonical hours based on the "ora et labora" dictated by the Rule of St. Benedict. The Cistercian Monastery of São Bento de Cástris (13th-19th centuries), in Évora, Portugal, includes a church, at the south-eastern corner. This church presents an unusual space setting with two choirs which seems to favour different positions for coral groups supporting liturgical and musical expression activities within the research scope of a Research Project. As the light in the Cistercian Monasteries, mainly, in their churches, is mostly related to the fulfilment of liturgical needs, this paper analyses the relationship between daylight conditions within the monastic choirs located within the monastic church. The chant was a very important way of oration and thus of the liturgy. This was the ORFEUS Project – “The Tridentine Reform and music in the cloistral silence: The Monastery of S. Bento de Cástris” which was based on a multidisciplinary approach around the Tridentine Reform with reflexes in the musical Cistercian feminine matrix between the 16th and 18th centuries on Cistercian Monasteries. This paper describes the objectives and methodology applied to the case study thus linking Built Heritage Research and History of Architecture, i.e., Research and Education.