Paper short abstract:

The current coastal areas urban occupation is incompatible with the biophysic landscape transformation. In this sense, the present communication seeks to explain an intrpretation methodology of the relationship between biophysical functional systems and human occupation processes for sea architectures.

Paper long abstract:

In Portugal, the traditional urban occupation of coastal areas (as a sea-land transition, with a high ecological dynamic and complex ecosystem) was confined to the biophysical suitable conditions (hydrography, soil and climate) based on sea resources subsistence, complemented by land exploitation. In this context, the Sea Architectures, as a cultural expression of its potential, respected those conditions by applying traditional materials and construction techniques available in the region. However, an urban occupation model based on industrial production methods became later unsuited to the natural transformation processes of the landscape. Since then, the memories of the local communities were disconnected from their temporal borders and spatial experience, which resulted in a progressive uprooting due to a loss of affection, making the coastal areas' preservation pointless.

In this sense, the present communication proposal intends to present an alternative analysis and diagnosis methodology of coastal areas, according to an integrated interpretation of their landscape. It consists in a morpho-typological characterization of its biophysical functional systems and human occupation processes, with an approach simultaneously morphological (related to the physical) and typological (related to the symbolical). A set of methodological steps will be described, comparing different sources of information and scales of observation, to determine the main territorial specificities and local culture framework, ensuring the natural transformation processes of the landscape. This methodology allows us to understand the relationship between the human needs and biophysical conditions, by which we'll be able to develop a suitable preservation strategy of coastal areas, recovering their Sea Architectures.