Brizoletas : estudo do programa arquitetônico escolar no Rio Grande do Sul nos anos 1960

Abstract

The present dissertation aims to analyze and bring awareness to the schools built in Rio Grande do Sul during the government of Leonel de Moura Brizola (1959–1963), with an emphasis on their architectural characteristics, examined in relation to their disciplinary context. These buildings were developed as part of an educational program whose motto was "No child without a school in RS," and their main feature was the construction of school units throughout the state to mitigate the critical educational situation at the time. The buildings followed a pavilion-like organization, constructed either in masonry or wood, depending on the availability of materials and labor in each region. This topic has been addressed in important publications, such as those by Quadros (2001; 2002; 2023) and Marques (2012), which provided essential information for the development of this research. Furthermore, to gain a broader understanding of the objects of study, the dissertation sought to explore the state's context at the time, considering historical, political, and pedagogical aspects. In this way, these aspects frame the research topic, which focuses on the popular brizoletas, with an emphasis on five specific buildings. To support the analysis of these schools, the research is structured around three theoretical axes. The first addresses the concepts of type and typology, situating the brizoletas within the typological universe of schools. The second examines the time frame and characteristics of these buildings, relating them to the Modern Movement and the idea of appropriate modernity, including both formal and ideological aspects. The third explores the relationship between architecture and political power, emphasizing the educational policies of Brizola's government. In addition to a bibliographic and documentary review on the educational program and its historical, political, and pedagogical contexts, five specific units were analyzed through photographic and architectural surveys as well as interviews. As a result of the research, it was possible to determine that these buildings conform to a specific architectural type, that the architectural solutions of these schools engage with the Modern Movement at both formal and ideological levels while also incorporating local elements—thus characterizing an appropriate modernity—and finally, that there is indeed a mutual relationship between politics and architecture. In this way, the research contributes to the inclusion of the brizoletas in architectural history and to the recognition of their significance.