From Seia to Guimarães. Fernando Távora’s tectonic shift in the Sacor fuel stations

Abstract

Between 1958 and 1961, the Portuguese architect Fernando Távora (1923-2005), designed two fuel stations in the north of Portugal for the same company, Sacor. These projects share the same client and a similar program, have the same type of location (on the outskirts of two medium-sized cities, Guimarães and Seia) and were designed by the same architect in subsequent periods of time (1958-60 and 1959-61). There seems to be no reason that can justify any substantial differences in their design. Yet, although the granite stone was the dominant material in both constructions, they are different: the tectonic options of Távora were quite distinct. This paper will present a tectonic analysis of these two fuel stations, considering Távora’s 1960 journey to the USA as a key to explain this shift in his work.