IJUP08 - Universidade do Porto

Promenade to Corbusier
L. Ribeiro da Silva 1 and M. Mendes 2
1 Faculty of Architecture, University of Porto, Portugal.
2 Faculty of Architecture, University of Porto, Portugal.
“Promenade to Corbusier” proposes to analyze the “quality of space” in the work of Le
Corbusier, quality only recognizable through the direct “experience of architecture”.
In an early stage of the investigation, it was believed that the “quality of space” would be
entailed to the concept of “Promenade Architecturale”, enunciated by Le Corbusier
himself. However, the further development of the work has resulted in the understanding
of the “Promenade Architecturale” as a fragment of a broader domain: the “Promenade to
Corbusier”.
“Promenade to Corbusier” is structured upon the recognition, in corbuserian architecture,
of a “conception field” – “traversing” [1] – and a “subject” that performs this action – the
“traverser” [2]. “Traversing” is acknowledged as an event of universal inevitability: physic
inevitability, biological inevitability, religious inevitability. “Traversing” is acknowledged
as existential synthesis.
Four propositions of “traversing” are recognized, according to the condition of the
“matter” and the modes of its manipulation. To each proposition of “traversing”
corresponds a state of “traverser”.
The first proposition of “traversing”, “Body’s Conduction”, concerns a field of architecture
where the coordination of movement is directly related to the “quality of space”. This is the
field of architecture concerned by the concept of “Promenade Architecturale”, starting
point of the investigation. The “traverser” moving through the “inert matter”.
The second proposition of “traversing”, “Sight’s Conduction”, identifies the “traverser” in
the process of slowing down and seeks for the recognition of the decreasing motion’s
space. “Sight’s Conduction” concerns the possibilities of the “promenade” by framing the
visual field of the “traverser”, in a fixed spatial position, through the “inert matter”.
The third proposition of “traversing”, “Retina’s Stimulation, the Natural Matter”, identifies
the “traverser’s” spirituality and seeks the recognition of the abstraction’s space. “Retina’s
Stimulation, the Natural Matter” concerns the possibilities of the “promenade” by
managing the motion of light, “natural reactive matter”.
The forth proposition of “traversing”, “Retina’s Stimulation, the Artificial Matter”,
concerns the recognition of the increasing possibilities arisen by civilizational
development, in the origin of the synthesis of “artificial reactive matter” – from the
“electric” to the “electronic” – with the potential to operate a revolution of both “quality of
space” and state of “traverser”.
«The verb is to be» [3].
References:
[1] “percorrência”.
[2] “percorrente”.
[3] Costa, M. E. (1997), Lucio Costa – Registro de uma Vivência, Empresa das Artes, São Paulo,
pp. 4.
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