Unit H
City Land Process II
Keita Tajima, Rhianon Morgan-Hatch
Unit H continued to explore the relationship between the land, its people and the city through spaces of production. We are interested in how materials of the land can be re-thought and formed to express a specific spatial sensibility and experience, enriching our architectural approach to the city and design of spaces whilst revealing the intricacies of place-memory. We work to examine the role of the architect as a collector of common heritage whilst simultaneously using this knowledge to propose urban transformations through material experimentation and the coupling of existing and proposed technologies. This year, the unit research and projects are based in Montemor-o-Novo, a town of ancient origin in the region of Alentejo, Portugal. Like many towns in Alentejo the population of the town reached its peak in the 1950’s and has been decreasing ever since. However, in the past 20 years, young artists and makers have been returning to the town due to opportunities afforded by abandoned buildings, low-cost living and access to space and resources: in contrast to life in larger cities such as Lisbon and Porto. We have worked closely with Oficinas do Covento, the art and cultural organisation based in Montemoro-Novo, exploring the potential of the design and construction of architecture as a series of collaborative acts, uncovering the strengths of researching and building together, particularly working closely with the residents and municipality facilitating cultural events, educational programmes, and artistic and
PORTO, EVORA, MONTEMOR_O_NOVO
architectural activities in the town. Unit h students engaged in a series of material workshops organised by the OdC as well as a series of discussions about the material culture of the region, the current situation and the future possibilities of the town during our trip. Students have explored possibilities of educational and cultural civic infrastructure that have been developed collaboratively in order to enrich the relationship between the city, its inhabitants and the landscape. With increasing awareness of the various environmental crises we are facing, we have investigated how this plays out on a local, rural level. Whilst the vernacular building methods used in the region are inherently sustainable, economical and accessible, together we have reflected on the possibilities of how embedded knowledge can improve resilience in this area against factors such as desertification that will ultimately transform the landscape and therefore current ways of life. Moving away from a view of idealistic landscapes or nostalgic rural images, the students carefully observed and uncovered the landscape and rural towns as found and through this process formed a response and propositions that look at the unforeseen future of this region of Alentejo. We’d like to thank all of our students who have been through a particularly difficult time and despite this have managed to deliver fantastic work this year, and to everyone who has supported unit h both in London and Portugal.
