The SHARE meetings are bi-monthly seminars created, coordinated, and held by doctoral students enrolled in the third cycle of studies at the School of Architecture, Art and Design of the University of Minho / Lab2PT. Besides being an opportunity for doctorate students to meet, each session enables a doctoral student to present the progress of their research and receive contributions from their peers.

 

 

#44 SHARE.EAAD André Castanho | HOW ONE DIES THERE. Houses, Photographs and the Rural Housing Survey: Portugal 1930-1950

This session is part of the new summer season and counts with the presentation by doctoral student André Castanho.

 

Abstract:

The Rural Housing Survey (IHR), launched in the 1930s, examined rural dwellings to reform agriculture and improve its economic impact. At a time when farming dominated Portugal’s economy and the Salazar regime promoted an idyllic image of rural life, the IHRexposed the reality of a quasi-feudal system through detailed surveys and the first systematic photographic record of rural housing.

Combining visual discourse and written argument, this thesis builds on the IHR’s legacy to analyze contemporary rural housing. The visual component develops an in-situphotographic archive documenting the same villages and houses originally studied by the IHR in the Minho region. The written analysis contextualizes these images, exploring visual paradigms tied to the representation of rural dwellings and landscapes, while addressing persistent challenges of rural housing and the complex rural-urban dynamics of today.

 

Biography:
André Castanho (Viana do Castelo, 1988).
Architect and Photographer. Holds a Master’s degree in Architecture from the EAAD (2007–2013) and a Master’s in Photography from the EA-UCP (2018–2020). Erasmus exchange at Università IUAV (2010–2011). PhD candidate at EAAD (since 2024). Works as a Senior Technical Architect at the University of Minho and as an independent architect. Nominated for the 5th edition of the Gabriele Basilico Prize for Architecture and Landscape Photography. Vice-President of the Encontros da Imagem Association.

 

+ info: https://shareeaad.cargo.site/

 

Online Session, via Zoom (ID 979 9919 0565): HERE

Free admission.

 

Promoted by SHARE. EAAD – Lab2PT/UMinho, EAAD/UMinho