https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2269-4026
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ABSTRACT
Housing research was introduced in Portugal during the 1960s, at the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, LNEC), as a prominent scientific area in the international post-war conjuncture. The contributions of the LNEC’s research work guided architectural practice and political decisions following the aftermath of the Portuguese dictatorship in 1974. Based on primary sources, including documentation found at the LNEC library and archives, but also on the qualitative analysis of several interviews/oral statements conducted between 2017 and 2019 with the LNEC’s former researchers, this paper discloses how the LNEC’s legacy on housing research supported the establishment of the Portuguese housing programme in the 1970s, with effects in current times, both on a scientific level as well as for policy guidance.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC) for providing the access to the archived documentation in the scope of the postdoctoral research project (SFRH/BPD/117167/2016).
The authors are grateful to architects Alexandre Alves Costa, António Reis Cabrita, Bartolomeu da Costa Cabral, Fernando Gonçalves, Francisco Silva Dias, Gonçalo Byrne, Helena Roseta, Manuela Fazenda, Maria da Luz Valente Pereira, and Nuno Portas who gently have allowed their time to be interviewed in the scope of the postdoctoral research project.
The authors are also grateful to Maria Matilde Martins Almeida, from the Library and Documentation Centre of Minho University, for having provided the list of publications donated by architect Nuno Portas to that University.
The authors would like to thank Francisco Silva Dias and João Cunha Borges who have permitted the use of the photographs included in this manuscript.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
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2 United Nations. ‘Harness ‘transformative potential’’.
3 Laranja, ‘The development of technology infrastructure’; Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil; Rocha, Role of laboratory activities; Swedish Council for Building Research, Swedish Council for Building Research.
4 Milheiro and Afonso, Nuno Portas.
5 Agarez, ‘A self-conscious architectural historiography’.
6 D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘Portugal’s Rising Research’.
7 D’Almeida and Marat-Mendes, ‘The value of scientific research’.
8 Deyong, ‘Planetary habitat’; Marat-Mendes and Cabrita, ‘Recovering the Habitat concept’.
9 Portas and Gomes, Grupo de Coordenação de Estudos.
10 Agarez, ‘Philanthropy, diplomacy and built environment’; Krige, "Regulating International Knowledge Exchange’; Rice and Penner, ‘Introduction: the foundations of architectural research.’; Sachs, ‘Research and democracy’.
11 Atkinson, ‘Thoughts during the Building Research Establishment’s’; Bullock, Building the Post-war World’; Steadman, ‘Research in architecture and urban studies’.
12 Cupers, ‘The expertise of participation’; Lengereau, «Aux origines de la recherche architecturale».
13 Kemeny, ‘The abolition of the national Swedish institute’; Rosenberg, ‘Science for Architecture’.
14 Hague and Prior, ‘Planning in Czechoslovakia’.
15 Birch, ‘Making Urban Research Intellectually Respectable’; Sachs, ‘The Postwar Legacy of Architectural’.
16 Campos, ‘Nuno Portas: diálogos entre teoria e prática’; Carvalho, ‘Investigação em Arquitectura’; D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘Portugal’s Rising Research’; Marat-Mendes, D’Almeida and Borges. ‘Concepts and definitions’.
17 Marat-Mendes and Oliveira, ‘Urban planners in Portugal’.
18 Bandeirinha, O Processo SAAL; Barreto, ‘Portugal na periferia do centro’; Pereira, ‘Problemática da Habitação em Portugal’; Pereira, ‘O Problema da Habitação em Portugal’; Portas, Estudos sobre habitação; Sealy, ‘The SAAL Process’.
19 Hall and Vidén, ‘The Million Homes Programme’; Pilat, ‘Slow Architecture’; Shester, ‘The Local Economic Effects’.
20 D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘Portugal’s Rising Research’; Gil ‘Culturas de Investigação’; Matos, ‘Para o Maior Número’; Serpa, ‘Entre Habitação e Cidade’.
21 Portas, ‘Evolução da arquitectura moderna em Portugal’.
22 Moniz, ‘O Ensino Moderno da Arquitectura’; Mendes, ‘No construído’.
23 D’Almeida and Marat-Mendes, ‘The value of scientific research’.
24 Portas, ‘Evolução da arquitectura moderna em Portugal’.
25 Decree-Law no. 35.957, 1946.
26 Paiva, Manuel Rocha e o LNEC; Portas, ‘Rui Gomes’; Portas, Arquitectura(s). Teoria e Desenho.
27 D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘The publication of the scientific contributions’; D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘Research in the architect’s professional practice’.
28 D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘The publication of the scientific contributions’.
29 Alves Costa interview 2018.
30 Alves Costa interview 2018; Silva Dias interview 2017.
31 Costa Cabral Interview 2018.
32 Silva Dias interview 2017.
33 D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘Portugal’s Rising Research’.
34 Lamas and Fernandes, ‘Entrevista a Nuno Portas’.
35 Portas oral statement 2018.
36 Costa Cabral oral statement 2018.
37 Portas, ‘A Habitação Social’.
38 Gomes, Plano de Estudos HE - FCP / LNEC.
39 Portas, Estudos sobre habitação.
40 Gonçalves interview 2019.
41 Portas and Gomes, Inquérito-piloto; Pereira, Inquérito à habitação urbana; Pereira, Inquérito à habitação tradicional.
42 Costa and Portas, Racionalização de soluções da habitação; Portas and Gomes, Estudo das funções; Portas, Funções e exigências.
43 Cabral and Portas. Racionalização de soluções de organização; Byrne, Racionalização do Processo de Projeto.
44 Cabrita, Organização de projectos de edifícios.
45 Portas oral statement 2018.
46 D’Almeida and Marat-Mendes, ‘30 anos entre engenheiros’; Pedrosa and Antunes, ‘Architect Luz Valente-Pereira’.
47 Valente Pereira interviews 2017 and 2018.
48 Pereira, Inquérito à habitação urbana; Pereira, Inquérito à habitação tradicional; Pereira, Organização e qualidade do espaço urbano.
49 Pereira, Inquérito à habitação urbana.
50 Such as Universities of Brasília, São Paulo, Minas and Rio de Janeiro (1972–1973) according to Valente Pereira interview 2017.
51 D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘The publication of the scientific contributions’; Dias, ‘Teoria e Desenho da Arquitectura’.
52 D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘Portugal’s Rising Research’.
53 Valente Pereira oral statement 2018.
54 D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘Portugal’s Rising Research’; Portas, Estudos sobre habitação; Portas, ‘As Ciências Humanas’; Almeida, ‘Da Utilidade Social’.
55 D’Almeida, Marat-Mendes and Toussaint, ‘Portugal’s Rising Research’.
56 Alves Costa interview 2018.
57 Costa and Portas, Racionalização de soluções da habitação.
58 Costa and Portas, Racionalização de soluções da habitação.
59 Costa and Portas, Racionalização de soluções da habitação.
60 e.g. sewing.
61 Byrne, Racionalização do Processo de Projeto.
62 Byrne interview 2017.
63 Cabrita, Organização de projectos de edifícios.
64 Byrne interview 2017; Cabrita interview 2017.
65 AAVV, Colóquio sobre Política da Habitação.
66 Decree-Law no. 283/72.
67 Dias, Informação sobre a situação atual.
68 Silva Dias interview 2017.
69 AAVV, Colóquio sobre Política da Habitação.
70 Dias and Portas, Tipologias de edifícios; Dias and Portas, ‘Habitação evolutiva’.
71 Peralta, ‘A integração dos ‘retornados’’.
72 Portas, ‘O Processo SAAL'; Portas e Gonçalves, ‘Aspetos da participação’.
73 Gonçalves, Bases para uma normativa urbanística; Gonçalves, Legislação urbanística portuguesa; Gonçalves, Fundamentos para uma normativa urbanística.
74 Portas and Gonçalves. ‘Aspetos da participação’, 72.
75 Decree no. 388/74.
76 Order DD4630.
77 Bandeirinha, O Processo SAAL; Portas, Nuno. ‘O Processo SAAL’.
78 Bandeirinha, O Processo SAAL.
79 Costa, Siza, Guimarães, Souto de Moura and Fernandes, ‘SAAL/NORTE Balanço’.
80 Couto, ‘Bartolomeu Costa Cabral'.
81 Silva Dias interview 2017.
82 Silva Dias interview 2017 and Costa Cabral oral statement 2018.
83 Dias and Portas, Tipologias de edifícios.
84 Bandeirinha, O Processo SAAL.
85 Portas, ‘Prefacio’.
86 Silva Dias interview 2017.
87 e.g. LNEC’s received the first electronic computer in the country, an IBM 602-A, installed in 1957.
88 Costa and Portas, Racionalização de soluções da habitação.
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Notes on contributors
Patrícia Bento d’Almeida
Patrícia Bento d’Almeida is an architect and a researcher at DINÂMIA'CET, the Centre for the Study of Socioeconomic Change and the Territory, at Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa. She holds a Masters (2007) and a PhD degree (2013) in History of Art from Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Her main research focus is Contemporary History of Architecture and Urbanism. She has recently curated a retrospective exhibition about two Modern Portuguese architects, Victor Palla and Bento d’Almeida (Centro Cultural de Belém, 2017). Currently, she is developing post-doctoral research project titled ‘LNEC, the Portuguese National Laboratory for Civil Engineering, and the History of Architecture Research’, focused on the emergence of scientific research in architecture and urbanism, methodologies and actors.
Teresa Marat-Mendes
Teresa Marat-Mendes is a Professor of Urbanism and Architecture at Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa and a Researcher at DINÂMIA’CET, the Centre for the Study of Socioeconomic Change and the Territory. Trained as an Architect (University of Lisbon, 1984), she holds a Master degree on Land-Use Planning and Environmental Planning (New University of Lisbon, 1999) and a PhD in Architecture (University of Nottingham, 2002). Her main research interests include Portuguese Architecture and Urban Planning, Urban Ecology, Urban Form and Sustainability. She coordinated at DINÂMIA’CET-IUL the Research Project SPLACH – Spatial Planning for Change (2017–2021) which aimed to inform future Portuguese urban policies on how to promote a sustainable transition of the built environment.