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 mediumsized 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.
