Francisco Melo and Jorge Gigante's collection donated to Casa da Arquitectura.

Francisco Melo and Jorge Gigante constituted a partnership office in 1956. Their activity develops around urbanism and architecture, in which the set of telephone centrals that they projected and built for TLP (Lisbon and Porto Telephones) stands out. Works with big technical and constructive demand, are the experimenting laboratory of many solutions that will be applied in other author works and will be a formation base for many architects. The enlargement of Central Telefónica do Bonfim or the Central Telefónica de Arcozelo (Telephone Central of Bonfim or Telepohone Central of Arcozelo) are work references in this set.
The collective and individual housing, particularly social and cooperative housing, is one of the other areas of the office’s greater number of works, in which should be highlighted the cooperatives of Mafamude (Gaia) and Cohaemato (Matosinhos). Already in the 90’s of the 20th century, they projected and built the enlargement of the Social Center of Sé do Porto, that is located alongside with Verdades stairs, and it is a contemporary mark in the city’s medieval architecture.
This office was during many years a formation site for many generations of architects that worked for brief or longer periods. Manuel Correia Fernandes, José Quintão, Domingos Tavares, Manuel Mendes, José Manuel Gigante, Pedro Mendo, Conceição Melo, João Álvaro Rocha, learned from this practical school, as the knowledge and teaching capacity of this architects duo. José Manuel Gigante and João Álvaro Rocha would integrate permanently the office in 1989, staying until its closure.
The office in Rua de D. Hugo 37, where Jorge Gigante and Francisco Melo installed themselves in the 60s of the 20th century, will forever be consider an unquestionable reference in architects history and Portuguese architecture in the second half of the 20th century.

Main Projects and Works

Urbanism
1970 – General Urban Plan of Vila da Maia
1962/83 – Many detail plans for Póvoa do Varzim, Vila Nova de Famalicão, Maia, Ovar, Albergaria-a-Velha, Lamego, Felgueiras and Valongo.

Housing
1957 – House for Dr. Neves dos Santos – Porto
1959 – House for Dr. Veiga de Macedo – Porto
1961 – Two Houses Armando Pimenta – Porto
1970 – House for Eng.º Cunha Ramos – Pampelido / Matosinhos
1972 – Cooperative Construction Society “O Lar de S. Cristóvão” – Mafamude / Vila Nova de Gaia
1981 – Economic Housing Cooperative “COHAEMATO” – Leça da Palmeira / Matosinhos

Telephone Centrals
1965 – Automatic Central of S. Mamede Infesta / Matosinhos
1965 – Automatic Central of Santo Ovídio / Vila Nova de Gaia
1966 – Automatic Central of Ermesinde / Valongo
1967 – Automatic Central of Senhora da Hora / Matosinhos
1968 – Enlargement of Automatic Central of Lapa / Porto
1969 – Automatic Central of Rio Tinto / Gondomar
1970 – Automatic Central of Gondomar / Gondomar
1971 – Automatic Central of Espinho / Espinho
1972 – Automatic Central of Maia / Maia
1972 – Enlargement of Automatic Central of Bonfim / Porto
1973 – Automatic Central of Afurada / Vila Nova de Gaia
1974 – Automatic Central of Arcozelo / Vila Nova de Gaia
1975 – Automatic Central of Grijó / Vila da Feira
1977 – Automatic Central of Sandim / Vila da Feira
1978 – Enlargement of Automatic Central of Gaia 1st phase / Vila Nova de Gaia
1979 – Automatic Central of Alfena / Valongo
1988 – Enlargement of Automatic Central of Santo Ovídio / Vila Nova de Gaia
1988 – Enlargement of Automatic Central of S. Mamede de Infesta / Matosinhos
1989 – Enlargement of Automatic Central of Gondomar / Gondomar
1990 – Enlargement of Automatic Central of Espinho / Espinho

Equipments

1963 – Primary School / Vila Nova de Famalicão
1969 – Turistic Set of Serra das Meadas – Motel and Restaurante / Lamego
1978 – Local Adjustment in Feira / Lamego
1982 – Nursery / ATL – Centro Social da Sé Catedral do Porto – Remodelation / Porto
1991 – Social Center of Sé Catedral do Porto – Enlargement Building / Porto

Others
1960 – Mechanic Metalwork “A Vulcano” – Matosinhos
1964 – Shop “Sandra” / Viana do Castelo
1969 – Bank Agency Borges & Irmão do Marquês / Porto

Biographic Notes

Jorge Gigante

Born in Viana do Castelo in 1919. In 1942 concludes the Conductor of Public Works and Mines Course of the Instituto Industrial do Porto (IIP) which gives him access to Technical Director of Couto Mineiro de Rio de Frade in Arouca between 1942 and 1947.
From 1947 to 1954 is Conductor of Public Works and Mines in the Urban Office at Porto’s City Hall. Later, between 1954 e 1958, he takes over this job again, in APDL (Administration of the Ports of Douro and Leixões) where, later on, assumes the architect’s job.
Concludes the architecture course in ESBAP in 1958.
Between 1963 and 1975 is City Halls consultor in de Albergaria-a-Velha, Ílhavo, Maia and Ovar.
After April 25, he is nominated Govern Commissioner to the Urban Renovation in Ribeira-Barredo Area, in Porto, position held between 1975 and 1976.
In parallel with architecture and urbanism practice, he is also professor at ESBAP and FAUP (Porto) – in two different period, from 1967-71 and 1978-90. His activity as a teacher marks, in an unquestionable way, many architects generations and constitutes the base of construction’s subject that would become one of the main teaching bases that characterize Escola do Porto (Porto’s School). He died in Porto in 1994.

Francisco Melo

Born in Porto in 1930. Attends and completes the course of Architecture (ESBAP) in 1959, where he contacted with Jorge Gigante. Some architects are also a part of his course, that later on internationalized Portuguese architecture, in which stands out as a main figure Álvaro Siza.
During the architecture course, he collaborates in some reference architects offices, among them João Andrersen.
He does an internship as an architect in SOMEC, between 1957 and 1960. In 1956 he constitutes a company with Jorge Gigante to which dedicates in exclusivity from 1960 until its closure in 1994.
Post April 25, he integrates SAAL Team in Ovar, led by Domingos Tavares.