Iberian enclosures. Measure, matter, interpretation

Abstract

Iberian cities shaped themselves as a great laboratory of multiple opportunities for architecture throughout the process of stratification of the historical layers, starting from their original Roman foundation and passing by the Islamic and Christian dominions, until more recent time. Today, the archetype of the enclosure is an operational tool for the architectural project still to be enhanced with new potential advancements. Among the most renowned contemporary architects, many of them have chosen to follow the tradition of enclosing spaces for their works in the last decades: that makes it possible for the present study to carry out a comparative reading of those works to highlight common grounds and prospects upon the architectural theme of enclosed spaces. Accordingly, the research has selected the following projects on the basis of their paradigmatic way of forming and interpreting the feature of enclosure: the solution for the urban space around the Roman temple of Diana in Mérida by José María Sánchez García (2006-2011); the house in Alenquer by Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus (1999-2002); the offices for the Junta de Castilla y León in Zamora by Alberto Campo Baeza (2004-2012). The critical reading of the three works will be focused on the key concepts of “measure” (in relation to the urban environment), ‘matter’ (in relation to memory) and ‘interpretation’ (in relation to places and languages) and it aims to identify topics, options, and perspectives that the three architects —implicitly or explicitly— share and endorse.