In favour of collaborative research methodologies. The case of the architectural design for the renewal of São Francisco de Real Convent, in Braga, Portugal

Abstract

This paper reports on the architectural design process for the reuse of São Francisco Convent and its adaptation into the Archaeology Unit of Minho University, which was conducted in a strong interdisciplinary collaboration between several disciplines, such as Archaeology, History and Engineering. The convent was built in the sixteenth century, reusing the 7th century pre-existing mausoleum of São Frutuoso and the medieval monastic installations, undergoing a deep reform during the 18th century. Responding to contemporary functional and symbolic demands over the centuries, the ensemble’s spatial metamorphoses were not registered and this lack of information originated relevant academic debates throughout the 20th century. The architectural design required a thorough research on the history of the building, developed in strict collaboration with archaeologists working on site and the Engineering team that lead inspection and diagnosis reports. This collaboration allowed to understand the building’s transformation in its longue durée, decoding some of the functional, constructive and symbolic logics that determined its evolution, articulating essential knowledge when defining the proposed solution for the convent and the ex-novo buildings. Regarding tectonic decisions, some options were intentionally distinctive while others agreed upon traditional techniques and materials, ensuring a coherent design logic and the ensemble’s integrity in its contemporary circumstance. Both the process that sustained the architectural design and the solution established, proved that only an intervention based on collaborative methodologies can enable the holistic understanding of the heritage building as a document to be read and interpreted in its effective ampleness.