Living terraces: From reuse in traditional architecture to césar manrique and Souto de moura’s work with time

Abstract

In the last decades of the 20th century, the special interest shown by architects such as César Manrique and Eduardo Souto de Moura in terraced agricultural landscapes, using them as an argument for the integration of their works in the environment, made it possible to revive certain transference strategies between agriculture and architecture commonly found in traditional architecture. The troglodyte habitat in the excavated city of Matera, the continuity of the Inca stone terraces of Machu Picchu or the evolution of the irrigated terrace of the Generalife are clear examples of the logic of a transformation process that does not distinguish between disciplines. The consideration of these elements of World Heritage, placed in relation to certain emblematic works of contemporary architecture, allows us to appreciate the recent incorporation of intervention strategies that significantly extend the possibility of sensitive transformation of the agricultural environment into living space. The use of new materials enables the conversion of agricultural terraces into landscapes where architecture, territory, ruins and cultivation come together. Considering the terraces as part of the memory of the territory and in work about time, on the other hand, suggests the need to renew a living heritage, often lacking any protection, which could form, in dialogue with current architecture, a new legacy for the future.