International educational experiences of project survey and representation: cataloguing, analyses and enhancement of 20th century modernist heritage in Brazil

The proposed essay aims at presenting three academic experiences involving techniques of project survey and representation of modernist architectures in Brazil in order to improve cataloguing, analyse, enhancement and future preservation of this Cultural Heritage. The paper summarizes in chronological order the research programmes carried out at Mackenzie University of São Paulo, FAU USP in São Paulo and the Department of Architecture of the University of Ferrara. Modernism was a reflection of the cultural effervescence of the time: during the beginning of XX century Latin America went through industrialization and, at the same time, great patriotism, which led to the search for art (including the national architecture) without being bound by European standards. Despite many books have been written about modern European and North American architecture, much remains to be illustrated with regard to modernism in Brazil, probably one of the most interesting contribution to this style in Latin America. From the identification of some practical problems at research level, a method has been proposed in order to foster the discussion and the knowledge of different design strategies used by modernist architects. The comparative analysis among the buildings typologies was carried out starting from the following elements of analysis: access and perimeter; internal circulation and use of space; degrees of subdivision; hierarchy; symmetry / balance; visual fields; geometries and levels of additions / subtractions. This set of criteria has made it possible to identify the architectural concept and to compare the principles used by different architects in placing shapes in space. The main objective of the research program and didactic experimentation was to produce quality material through the analysis process by schematic drawings and to expand the knowledge and skills of the students both in Italy and in Brazil. With this aim, the research has contributed to deepen the discussion on the methodology of the project based on objective criteria. The results obtained comprise various elements of analysis. The success of the research has been pushing the international team to produce educational material for the analysis of architectural examples that promoted the redefinition of strategies in the field of project teaching.