Portuguese state renews support for Casa da Arquitectura

"This is naturally an important protocol for the continuation of Casa da Arquitectura's work, a protocol that is possible given the current political framework, but one that establishes the commitment of the Portuguese State and Casa da Arquitectura to work together for architecture as a strategic asset for Portugal, as a cultural, touristic act of enormous relevance for our environment, for our territory and an engine of the economy, an area that has given and is giving Portugal the greatest international recognition," says Nuno Sampaio, executive director of Casa da Arquitectura (CA), noting that he hopes that in the future more areas of government will join forces, "so that Casa da Arquitectura can strengthen its partnerships with the State in support of public documentary heritage and I would also say a commitment to joint work between the Portuguese State and Casa da Arquitectura to strengthen the internationalisation of Portuguese architecture. "

"The protocol we are signing today totals over a million euros a year and includes support for a number of researchers who will be able to access research and doctoral scholarships to study the Casa's collections and related topics," adds CA's executive director.

The protocol between the five areas of government and Casa da Arquitectura provides for several joint lines of work:

Ministry of the Economy and the Sea
The participation of the Ministry of Economy, through Turismo de Portugal, IP, provides support for the creation of tourist itineraries and initiatives within the scope of the international promotion of Portugal anchored in architecture, namely the identification and creation of visiting programmes on architecture in Portugal to continue the Architecture & Tourism Project.

Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education
The participation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education is aimed at doctoral training and scientific employment within the scope of the collaboration of Casa da Arquitectura and R&D units in activities to support scientific knowledge about architecture in Portugal, integrating interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies in different areas, namely support for doctoral training on CA collections.

Ministry of the Environment and Climate Action
The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Action's support for Casa da Arquitectura aims to strengthen the scientific knowledge base on architecture in Portugal through seminars and/or conferences and/or workshops, research projects, exhibitions, themed visits, training activities, educational activities, awareness-raising initiatives and public involvement in the fields of nature conservation, landscape, environmental sustainability, energy, circular economy, urbanism and mobility.Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education
The participation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education is aimed at doctoral training and scientific employment within the scope of the collaboration of Casa da Arquitectura and R&D units in activities to support scientific knowledge about architecture in Portugal, integrating interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies in different areas, namely support for doctoral training on CA collections.

Ministry of Culture
The involvement of the Ministry of Culture (MC) in this protocol is aimed at critical, theoretical and practical reflection activities in the field of architecture, urbanism and public space, with individual or collective themes, through the organisation and production of exhibitions, publication of catalogues, parallel programming and mediation of dedicated audiences, namely by giving continuity and visibility to the MC's support under the Protocol signed for 2021-2023 for the constitution of the national collection on "50 years of Portuguese architecture in democracy - 1974-2024".
This support provides for the realisation of a seminal project which is the edition and publication of Álvaro Siza's Complete Works, honouring the most awarded and recognised Portuguese architect - a project which will involve agreements with other entities and partnerships with private individuals.

Ministry of Territorial Cohesion
The participation of the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion will make possible a collection of "city and territory" archives that aims, in particular, to survey and catalogue a selection of large-scale urban intervention projects built in Portugal between 1998 and 2023. This selection of projects is intended to be representative, diverse and cross-cutting, allowing a reading not only from an urban point of view, but also from a political, legal and financial point of view, and the factors that led to their realisation as a design and decision-making process. Support for travelling is planned so that the architecture can reach different regions of the country.