15 Biennale di Venezia. Inverted Ruins
Paulo David's contribution to the main exhibition, Reporting From The Front.
Observation Shelter, Pico do Areeiro, Madeira
on the burnt territory
On the island’s ridge, an arboreal mass contains the mountains, protects and strengthens its hydric values. It is confronted with a misadventure, of destructive nature, the flames from the fires that took place in August of 2010. This fire destroyed 95% of the local Ecological Park’s forest, taking away 10 years of personal investment from a group of people, the Amigos do Parque Ecológico do Fuchal, devoted to the preservation of indigenous species from the laurel forest Laurissilva (world heritage), and control of invasive plants ... reflects a natural catastrophe.
We are left with this time of “instant ruin” and the aim to design a shelter that is born from the desire of fading the charred territory.
on the setting of the drawing
Architecture accepts this condition and embodies the need to recover the lost legacy that is found. Summons to its landscape value, returning to it, inventing a future.
The drawing is set, making reuse of the available and close values, in a place without buildings, a simple, rudimentary wood construction system is proposed, reusing logs from the extensive burnt trees, with an added covering over the structure with soil from this same place.
Two living moments for this place are proposed. The space created by imbricated tree logs draws a possibility for internal retreat and storage for the mountain devotes. On its counterpoint, a light stair overhangs throughout the outer ridge of the construction and promotes observation over the immense mountains.
“back to life”
Back to the mountain, the design of this shelter takes shape as a base for a protective and defensive experience, writes the observation of the place, gives shelter to all arboreal manifests, ... to all involved nature ...
One envelop towards the “Cure and Repair” ... of the place’s nature.
Hospitality Shelter, Caniço, Madeira
on the burnt territory
On the earth’s coast line, a small military construction built for surveillance and protection purposes against attacks from the sea, has gradually been acquiring a slow state of vanishing as its utilitas changes and morphs. Confronted today by an “invasion” by land by “touristification” over its contour that has been progressively “carpeting” the place’s structure, deposing all of its values ... reflects anthropic elements
We are left with this time ... a ruin, which is built in black basalt stone in permanent dialogue with the volcano. Builds a black hole that reminds us of the value of the place, it is, simultaneously, an oasis, remains a “Fort”.
on the setting of the drawing
Architecture accepts this condition and proposes two times of appropriation, one of departing from a clear archaeological delimitation, calling upon its iconographic value; and another of returning to it, inventing a future.
The drawing is set, making an opposite incision in which as house is risen from within the ruins: one “inverted ruin” to discover and rehearse values of a (new) home.
Two living moments for this place are proposed. One within the boundaries of the stone walls, through a glass construction; and another, a thoughtfully enclosed block, that levitates above everything and tangentially restricts the “land invasions” and (re)inscribes a defense form which is within the genesis of this Fort, privatizes and dominates into the immensity of the ocean.
From materials the memory is fixed, its chronology, the “black scarf” of lava builds the limit line made by the volcano, the “black ring” of basalt stone builds the Fort, the “black block” of volcanic ash builds the (new) sentry-box ... its totality builds the matter seam.
“back to life”
Back to the (new) Fort, it defends towards the experience of the body as a receptor of tactile and visual stimuli, (re)writing to all the values of this place: the sound, the aromas, the wind, the ocean ... the gaze towards the horizon ...
... one horizon for the “Cure and Repair” ... for staring towards a place.
