CASARÃO DO CHÁ RESTORATION AND RESCUE OF A JAPANESE WATTLEAND- DAUB BUILDING TECHNIQUE IN BRAZIL

Resumen

The technique of building with earth in Japan, especially wattle and daub, is one of the most advanced in the world. For more than a millennium, both the technique and the materials have been improving, adapting to the nature of the locale, including earthquakes, weathering, and temperature differences, among others. Such is the cultural consolidation of this technique that by referring to Japanese wall, wattle and daub is directly inferred. In Brazil, wattle and daub (pau-a-pique) is used in several regions; its implementation was present in buildings in rural areas, in coffee plantations and in colonial architecture. Despite this, the technique is currently undervalued. The house of tea (Casarão do Chá) was built in 1941 of wattle-and-daub and eucalyptus-log structure. It is the irst Japanese building declared architectural heritage in Brazil, and is currently being restored. The aim of this work is to confront the differences and similarities between the construction technique of the Casarão do Chá walls in relation to the Japanese technique; analyzing the techniques and materials used that replaced the Oriental materials. As a research method, it was necessary to save the original process that was used in this building, from the study of the Japanese plot as theoretical framework. Also the materials and construction methods were analyzed, permitting veriication of adaptations to the set of procedures for conducting the restoration work. This work not only promotes the improvement of the Brazilian technique, it also creates an identity for the society with the declared heritage assets.