Casas de pedra dos imigrantes italianos na Serra dos Tapes: a arquitetura vernacular que resiste ao tempo

Abstract

This research investigates the stone houses built by Italian immigrants in Colônia Maciel, located in the Serra dos Tapes, Pelotas/RS, analysing the social, cultural, and material factors that ensure their continuity in the landscape through time, beyond the technical solidity of the construction. Using a dialectical methodology, which allows the analysis of contradictions and transformations over the years, the methodological procedures include architectural documentation through surveys guided by the Iphan inventory system, the creation of virtual tours, Oral History, and social mapping. The research is based on Simon Unwin’s architectural analysis categories (2013), Tim Ingold’s theories’ of taskscape (1993) and habitation (2005), Henri Bergson's concept of duration (1999), and José Gonçalves' idea of heritage resonance (2005). The results show that these constructions endure over time not only because of their construction technique, but by the integration to a taskscape and heritage resonance, i.e., by the way they continue to make sense to those who inhabit and reinterpret them. The preservation of these buildings occurs when there is an active relationship between architecture, memory, and functionality. While some of these buildings remain inhabited and adapted to new uses, others lose their connection with daily practices and are abandoned. Therefore, the continuity of these houses depends on their integration into the owning families’ networks of life and work. When they keep bonds with the present – either by their use associated with productive activity or their symbolic value – these buildings remain alive. On the other hand, when they lose their function or cease to be recognized as part of the identity, they become ruins. Thus, this research contributes to a broader understanding of the vernacular architecture of Italian immigration in Rio Grande do Sul and immigration architecture in Serra dos Tapes, demonstrating that heritage is not sustained only by formal measures of patrimonialization but by the capacity of a building to remain inhabited and reinterpreted over time. However, it emphasizes the need to adopt more flexible official recognition strategies, which considers the various dimensions of patrimoniality. This research suggests that the preservation must be based on an active participation of communities and in the appreciation of quotidian conservation practices. Besides, it points to the importance of exploring new approaches to the preservation of vernacular architecture, opening the way for future investigations in this field of study.