Enquadramento do trabalho casas tradicionais

1. “The traditional house and sustainable
development”
Seia is located on the northwest side of Serra da Estrela and is one of the main
entry points in this mountain range characterized by a unique natural environment in
Portugal. These characteristics contributed to its being established as a Natural Park.
Several villages in the municipality of Seia integrate this Natural Park, the largest
established in Portugal, with a total area of about 1,000km2.
Serra da Estrela is part of the great peninsular central mountain range and its
maximum altitude is 1991 meters. To complete the 2000m a tower was built at the highest
point.
Geologically the mountain is mainly granite (aged between 340-280 million years
ago) surrounded by metamorphic rocks to the NE, South and SW (Pre-cambric-Cambrian,
between 500 and 650 million years ago). The highest area corresponds to a plateau with
traces of glacial action, left by the last glacial of the late Neogene, the so-called Wurm,
which peaked about 20,000 years ago. The nature of the existent rocks and geodynamics
it has been subjected to gave origin to natural landscapes of great beauty and
magnificence.
Changes in precipitation and temperature reflect the influence of temperate and
Mediterranean macroclimates. However, its climate is also influenced by altitude,
proximity to the Atlantic and the effect of continentality exerted by the interior of the
Iberian Peninsula. In winter it is covered with snow, which makes it an important centre
of tourist attraction, allowing, for a period of time, the practice of snow sports. The
various climatic factors originate frequent storms that greatly affect this practice and
consequently its economic profit.
Flora in the Natural Park of Serra da Estrela shows unique characteristics in
Portugal, as there are several strictly endemic species and subspecies to the Serra da
Estrela including Campanula Herminii, true symbol of this mountain, which was once
called "Montes Hermínios ". Altitude contributes to the existence of different levels with
a particular flora each. Fauna is diverse and is divided into five major areas: rural, forest,
shrubbery, subalpine, and water courses.

2. The climate of the Serra makes it "a huge castle of water." The mountain is an
important centre for water spreading, formed by several lakes and a dense river network
which includes three major rivers - the Zêzere, Alva and Mondego -, besides numerous
watercourses. Part of this water is used to produce electricity.
Despite its prime location, Seia municipality, as is the case of the interior of
Portugal, lives difficult times, due to lack of public and private investment in projects that
can revitalize the economy, and aggravated by the economic and financial crisis the
country is going through. The last censuses show that the population has left the
municipality (from 2001 to 2011 there was a reduction of 12.2% in the number of its
inhabitants); however, the situation has worsened. Several factors, including the collapse
of agricultural income, the closure of many textile factories and the lack of job
opportunities, have changed the balance of framework which has existed for centuries.
The fact is we have a built heritage as well as villages now completely abandoned
whose recovery and renovation could help requalify those places, boosting local
economy. It is important to restore this heritage and keep its unique characteristics so that
the population can identify themselves with that legacy and so maintain their cultural
identity.
There is already some initiative in this rehabilitation and preservation either for
own use or for tourism purposes, associated with regional high quality products such as
honey, rye bread, traditional sausages, weaving, and the famous Serra da Estrela Cheese,
curd and lamb (these latest products connected with an old traditional activity, grazing in
the Serra da Estrela).
The region has natural potential, but depopulation remains despite some focus on
tourism.
From the reflection on the characterization of the local environment, "Traditional
housing and sustainable development" came up as the theme for the research; as a
problem we formulated the following: “Does the preservation of the traditional houses
contribute to a sustainable development?".
Several study cases were formulated, which were translated by the following
questions: 1) What is the traditional house like? Is there one or more than one type of
traditional house? 2) How do people see the traditional houses? Do they like them? 3) Is
the traditional house sustainable? What is a sustainable house? 4) What is the tourist value
of the traditional house? 5) What is the added value of preserving of the traditional style

3. of the houses in a village? 6) What support / strategies are there for the protection and
promotion of the built heritage?
The overall structure of the study is illustrated in Scheme I.
Scheme I - Structure of the study.
Methodologically a bibliographical research is being made; fieldwork and
instruments are being built, including surveys and interview scripts. Some of the data will
be worked out in Excel. Apart from that, photographic records will be made.