A tourist resort on the island of Porto Santo, Portugal: attempting a natural development

Abstract

This article describes a design for a tourist resort in the naturally fragile environment of Porto Santo, Portugal. While attempting to respond simultaneously to the needs of both tourists and locals, the project adopts sustainable development principles which create an ecologically and socially friendly environment. These principles also serve as useful and inspirational guidelines for the design process itself. A reinterpretation of the local genius loci finally integrates this theoretical framework, providing figurative and cultural models for the design.