Arquitetura em madeira: influência da imigração no Alto Uruguai gaúcho

Abstract

This work’s goal is to understand the development of wooden architecture in the Alto Uruguai region of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as the cultural exchanges and influences on the use of timber construction techniques, spanning from the various ethnic flows of immigrant and migrant settlers (mostly descendants of germans, italians and poles) who arrived in the region at the beginning of the 20th century with the foundation of the Erechim Colony. The wood used in these constructions came from the Araucaria angustifolia forest, whose economic exploitation took place through the use of ferries crossing the Uruguay River, and the São Paulo-Rio Grande railway. Most of these buildings were erected until the 1950s, when a decrease in the economic exploration of wood took place in the region. The research’s method was based in data collection, both bibliographical and through on-site exploratory visits of selected cities in the region, identifying buildings that were relevant to deepening the analysis. Furthermore, research instruments such as photographic and infographic records, interviews, and inventories were used, compiling data from buildings with a typological-architectural analysis. As a result, it is demonstrated that there was a hybridization of constructive techniques in wood, related to the knowhow of immigrants and migrants from different origins that officially colonized the region, resulting in similar wooden constructive solutions. Through these field surveys and data collection, we were able to record and organize information about the timber architecture of the Alto Uruguai Gaúcho, as a way to contribute towards the knowledge of this architecture and its preservation.