Building the 20th Century: Raúl Chorão Ramalho – 2023.11.08

The Rui Cunha Foundation and the Docomomo Research Center of Macau present on Wednesday, November 8th at 6:30pm, a lecture entitled “Building the 20th Century . Raúl Chorão Ramalho and the Pedro Nolasco School: Synthesis of a Universal Work”, with the participation of Architects and Professors Victor Mestre and Sofia Aleixo as key speakers and Architect Sérgio Spencer as moderator. The event will take place at FRC Gallery.

The lecture «celebrates the work of this important Architect, characterized by a profound commitment to the principles and values of modernity and an architectural strength rooted in unwavering professional ethics, which allowed him to maintain independence during a time of historical conservatism. His architectural vision focuses on the creation of fluid and luminous spatialities, where functionality is thoughtfully organized on both horizontal and vertical levels. His use of materials, techniques, and technologies aligns with a universalist architectural culture, connecting his work to the principles of modernity and social concerns while harmonizing aesthetics and comfort», according to Docomomo’s content proposal.

Chorão Ramalho «successfully reinvents and integrates local cultural elements without succumbing to regionalism or folkloric decorativism in the development of his work in the Portuguese Madeira Island during the 1950’s and 60’s. This archipelago operated as a laboratory for a trending theme, of and in, modern architecture, particularly the one developed in territories with a tropical climate. Macau would become the territory where these issues were to be deepened, firstly with the Economic Dwellings at Ilha Verde (1961/62), the Housing Complex for Senior Officials (1961/62), the Tower for Municipal Employees(1962), the already disappeared Emergency Housing Neighborhood on Ilha Verde, (1961/62), the Avé Maria Nursery in Guia hill (1963), and finally at the very modern Pedro Nolasco School (1969), designed to last in sense of its materiality and intangibility that this architecture expresses and transports for future memory. Macau holds this architectural Monument which is important to safeguard and value as a testimony of the vanguard of the 20th century universal architecture», Docomomo reinforces.

Victor Mestre graduated as an Architect in ESBAL (1981). He has a Master in Rehabilitation of Architectural and Landscape Heritage with the theme of Popular Architecture of Madeira, under the guidance of Architect Fernando Távora (University of Évora, 1997). He is PhD in Heritage of Portuguese Influence and is currently a researcher in the area of Architectural Heritage and Vernacular Architecture. Sofia Aleixo graduated as an Architect in FA-UTL (1991) and is an Associate Professor of Architecture at University of Évora. She obtained the PhD in Architecture – Architectural Conservation, at the School of Architecture – Faculty of Technology, Design and Equipment, Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom (2016).

In 1994 they began to work with the archive of Architect Raúl Chorão Ramalho [1914-2002], along with himself and his son Pedro Chorão Ramalho, developing experience in curating architectural archives, which resulted in the exhibition “Raúl Chorão Ramalho Arquitecto” (1997) at Casa da Cerca – Almada, and at the Madeira Regional Assembly – Funchal.

This lecture will be held in English and has been proposed to CAEU for attribution of professional credits (2 credits). Docomomo Macau will charge a fee of 100mop for issuing an attendance certificate. Please register on site for the certificate request.

Admission is free.

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