Features and seminars 2023

Between Nature and Architecture

João Mendes Ribeiro - João Mendes Ribeiro

The naturalisation of architecture and the artificialisation of nature is expressed in two projects: 'Casa no Castanheir' and the Tropical Greenhouses of the Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra.
In the first case, an intermediate space is projected, between architecture and nature, where the traditional relationship between figure and background is diluted. The project seeks to assert its presence, not through its own materiality, but by intensifying what exists around it, in particular the chestnut tree.
In the second case, the Greenhouse is a simulator of atmospheres, a space for reproducing environments from other places and recreating a specific nature. In their relationship with nature, the projects represent opposing approaches: the House in the Chestnut Tree cancels itself out in the face of the prevalence of natural elements, while the Greenhouse celebrates the power of architecture over nature.

Picture: © Inàs d'Orey