Wednesday, 11/5/2025
The work carried out at the Convent of São Francisco
de Real was recognised at the Real Estate Awards gala, organised by SIC
Notícias and Jornal Expresso, which took place on 5 November, in the category
of Interior Architecture - Public Facilities/Cultural Heritage.
With a view to housing the facilities of the
Archaeology Unit of the University of Minho and opening the complex to the
public, the monastic complex will also house the CIM Cávado Archaeological
Centre.
Carried out at the invitation of the Rector's Office,
the architectural project, developed at the Centre for Studies of the School of
Architecture, Art and Design of the University of Minho, was a central project
in its activity, dedicated to interaction with society. Involving a large
technical team composed of architects (many of whom are EAAD alumni), landscape
architects, archaeologists and engineers, in a spirit of committed
multidisciplinary collaboration, both institutional and external, it was
authored and coordinated by Professor Maria Manuel Oliveira.
Of particular note in this process was the consultancy
provided in the fields of archaeology by Dr Luís Fontes (Archaeology Unit of
the University of Minho), architectural history by Principal Investigator
Teresa Cunha Ferreira (CEAU_UP), and inspection and diagnosis under the
responsibility of Professor Paulo Lourenço (Department of Civil Engineering, University
of Minho).
Also noteworthy is the strong interaction between the
development of the project and the educational mission of EAAD, which has
resulted in opportunities for critical reflection and learning in the field of
intervention in built heritage, as well as its support for research activities
through Lab2PT, with results that bring architecture, archaeology, history and
tectonics into dialogue, reflected in communications, publications and the
creation of databases. Notable publications include ‘Metamorphoses of the
Convent of São Francisco de Real: recognition, analysis, interpretation’ and
‘10 years of the Study Centre of the School of Architecture of the University
of Minho, 2009 | 2019’.
Resulting from an agreement signed in 2014 between the
University and the City Council, owner of the building, which was then in an
advanced state of disrepair, the work was carried out in the period 2022-2024
by the company AOF - Augusto de Oliveira Ferreira, with technical assistance
from the EAAD Study Centre and SOPSEC, under the responsibility and supervision
of the City Council.
