Rosmaninho + Azevedo refurbishes the Aristides de Sousa Mendes Museum
Rosmaninho + Azevedo refurbishes the Aristides de Sousa Mendes Museum
The startup incubated at UPTEC was responsible for requalifying and musealising the house of Aristides de Sousa Mendes.
Rosmaninho + Azevedo, an architecture studio incubated at UPTEC —Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, was one of the leading players in the recent refurbishment of the Aristides de Sousa Mendes Museum. This July, the museum opened at Casa do Passal, in Cabanas de Viriato, Carregal do Sal.
With more than 2000m² of construction and 1 hectare of landscape, the intervention was comprehensive, aimed at renovating the house and making it a museum. Pedro Azevedo, co-founder of the U.Porto spin-off, emphasised the importance of preserving the site’s historical essence: “It was crucial to maintain a certain idea of home, as this was the home of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, and we wanted to reflect that in our work.”
For Pedro Azevedo, the project represents a significant milestone for Rosmaninho + Azevedo and valorising heritage in Portugal. “We’re delighted and proud of the result. We hope that this approach to heritage will inspire other organisations to move forward with new projects,” he concluded.
The startup’s involvement in this ambitious project began in July 2017, following a public tender launched by the Municipality of Carregal do Sal. “We visited the house in August and submitted the proposal in September,” says Pedro Azevedo, co-founder of Rosmaninho + Azevedo.
The road to the museum’s inauguration faced several challenges, including a period of bureaucracy that ended up delaying the start of construction by six months. The work was finally awarded in April 2018, with the execution project delivered in October of the same year. “The lack of a real architectural survey of the building was one of the first significant obstacles,” said Pedro, emphasising the need to create an accurate basis for the project. The fires of 2018, which devastated the centre of Portugal, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic also proved to be “rocks in the road”, but Rosmaninho + Azevedo’s perseverance and collaboration with the current municipal executive made it possible to overcome these obstacles and extend the EU funding package, enabling work to begin in August 2022.
Thus, as the company’s representatives point out, collaboration was fundamental to the project’s success. Pedro Azevedo mentioned the excellent dialogue with curator Cláudia Ninhos and the Cariátides team, who were responsible for the museographic and exhibition design. “It was gratifying to work with such a dedicated and competent team,” said Pedro, also highlighting the contribution of United By’s design team.
Assim, como referem os representantes da empresa, a colaboração foi um aspecto fundamental para o sucesso do projeto. Pedro Azevedo mencionou o excelente diálogo com a curadora Cláudia Ninhos e a equipa das Cariátides, responsáveis pela concepção museográfica e expositiva. “Foi gratificante trabalhar com uma equipa tão dedicada e competente”, disse Pedro, destacando também a contribuição da equipa de design da United By.
The museum opened to the public on 20 July. The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, attended the inauguration ceremony. Also present were relatives of Aristides de Sousa Mendes and descendants of refugees saved by the visas of the then Portuguese Consul in Bordeaux.
A emerging architecture studio
Created in 2015 by Susana Rosmaninho and Pedro Azevedo, the architecture office has already been among the 14 finalists for the Architectural Review Emerging Architecture (AREA) award, the Architectural Review’s distinction for emerging studios and architects up to 45.
In 2018, the Tua Valley Interpretive Centre, redeveloped by the UPTEC startup, won the Special Jury Prize at the Archizinc Trophy — VMZinc (Paris), was nominated for the EU Contemporary Architecture Prize —Mies van der Rohe 2019, was a finalist for the Bauwelt Prize 2019: First Works, and was a finalist for The Plan Prize 2019.
July 31, 2024