The Bouça Social Housing was designed by Alvaro Siza in 1977, after the Portuguese Democratic Revolution of 1974. It was supported by an organization called Serviço de Apoio Ambulatorio Local (SAAL). This government funded program was aimed to accomodate poor people but was mostly for slum dwellers.
The complex has four parallel rows of four story blocks which is created with two dublex houses on top of one another. The upper dublex houses were set back to provide open-air terraces. These four rows forms semi-public courtyards in between them. All of the rows are attached to a vertical thick wall, used as an isolation element against the railway which is parallel to the wall. At the end of the rows there are four free standing, irregular shaped community buildings as an entrance to the complex and as a connection component between the centre and the complex. These buildings contain laundry room, social centre, headquarters of the association and all recently they are converted into new functions such as library, meeting space.
In 1977 the complex was designed and started to get built but considering the political situation SAAL was short of government funding so that materials were in short supply. The construction ran from 1977 to 1979 but only two of the rows were able to get built. The communal buildings and the barrier wall were not applied. Subsequently the addition of the new metro line and the increasing value of the property caused the Bouça Social Housing Complex to gain its attention back. The new construction began in 2004 and the complex got finished in 2007.
The complex has many connection components with the existing urban context that its placed in. Such as the barrier walls, community buildings, courtyards and the shortcuts through the dwellings. The barrier wall works as a getaway of the metro station but also works as a sound barrier. The community buildings connect the centre and the complex because these buildings facades faces the street and they can be used by all people. The courtyards between the rows are semi public areas which people who live in there use it as a gathering space. So it creates a neighbourhood bond and creates a community. The openings in dwellings connects the four rows visually and it creates a shortcut through the complex.
In the Bouça complex there are 130 dwellings which has two basic typology. These typologies have differences in their sections. The first type which is placed on the bottom, has an entrance on its second floor with an exterior staircase. Because of the entrance, the second floor has welcoming areas such as living room and kitchen. On the first floor it has more private rooms such as bedrooms and a bathroom. On the other hand the upper dublex house type has the opposite plan because the entrance to this type is from its first floor (the third floor). An exterior staircase connects ground to the third floor so that the third floor has welcoming rooms in contrast with the fourth floor that has private rooms.
To sum up,while the Bouça Social Housing Complex is a project that is not isolated from its context,it also has developed it’s own social community and has it’s own unique identity. In that sense,Bouça Social Housing Complex constitutes a healthy city environment with it’s creative approach.
References:
• In Pursuit Of A Healthy City: Bouça Housing Complex By Alvaro Siza (1977),A Lesson To Retain by Prof. Ana Luisa Rodrigues
• Álvaro Siza Vieira Bairro da Bouça, Saal Housing Complex, Porto Dwelling Needs and Aspirations by Fabiola Gorgeri
• https://www.moma.org/collection/works/161432
• https://www.dezeen.com/2018/03/29/photography-alvaro-siza-saal-bouca-social-housing-porto/#/
• https://www.area-arch.it/en/social-housing-in-bouca/ • https://www.archiweb.cz/en/b/socialni-bydleni-saal-bouca
First photo by Joao Ferrand
Photo series by Zeynep Yılmaztürk
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