When you hear the word ‘castle’
you envision a fort, stonework, historical meaning and a sense of the
archaic & abandoned. These words are exactly what someone would have
in mind if asked to describe the Pombal Castle in Portugal.
In not feeling quite at home with the word ‘abandoned’, the city’s
municipality went about changing its local treasure with the city at its
feet. Things were about to change and vitality together with
inspiration where to become the two new words replacing ‘abandonment’.
Looking at the castle’s dream location the idea to engage this site with
the city’s energetic every day life became a challenge, which was
gladly accepted by all.
The great names behind this quest were COMOCO architects Luís Miguel Correia, Nelson Mota & Susana Constantino. Together with Vanda Maldonado & Inês Stoffel acting as collaborators and ABL- Gabinete de Projectos Lda
working alongside as Structural, Hydraulic & Acoustic Engineers the
journey of bringing history into the present, commenced. The idea was
to engage the landscape and the energy of the castle with the people
that take it for granted on a daily basis. These great grounds had to be
brought back to appreciation and to be chosen for moments of knowledge,
serenity, romance and of course, courtly entertainment. The ‘bring back
to life’ project consisted of 3 main areas, taking 7 years to
completion, covered an area of 48,650sqm and some €3,000,000.00.
PROJECT CREDITS:
Location: Pombal, Portugal
Promoter: Pombal Municipality
Architecture: Luís Miguel Correia, Nelson Mota e Susana Constantino
Collaborators: Vanda Maldonado, Inês Stoffel.
Project / Construction: 2004-2011
Site Area: 48.650m2
Cost: 3.000.000,00€
Structural Engineering, Hydraulic devices and Acoustics: ABL – Gabinete de Projectos Lda
Electric and electronic devices: Luís Ribeiro
Mechanical devices: João Gonçalves Madeira da Silva
Landscape Architecture: Luís Guedes de Carvalho, Luís Miguel Correia, Nelson Mota e Susana Constantino
Contractors: JRSF Joaquim Rodrigues e Silva Lda, Ibersilva, Argoconstrutora, Construção Civil Lda
Photography: FG+SG – Fotografia de Arquitectura
The first area involved
creating and highlighting connections between the urban areas at the
bottom of the Castle’s hill, pathways along the slopes and gazebos to
provide shelter and foster diverse experiences in the castle’s contact
with the landscape. The materials used were prominently plastered walls,
stone and grit pavements, and wooden structures. Light and shade
penetrating through these structures played a dramatic and sensual role.
In the second area surrounding the cemetery, both the
parking area and the adjacent facilities were designed as topographical
elements where concrete walls support the transition between the sharp
differences of levels. Finally, the third area
surrounding the walled precinct is aimed at enhancing the Castle as the
main built element of the area. The west access to the Castle was
redesigned, including the platform at its bottom as was Santa Maria
Church area providing a public space that fosters its appropriation as a
privileged stage for performances and other cultural activities.
Of course, all these new gems in the ‘world that was’ had to have a main point
of contact for everything to fall into place, and just because some
things never change no matter the century, this point is always the
cafeteria. This is a place for gossip, reading, sketching or staring out
on the grounds while travelling with your thoughts. The structure’s
exterior cladding is simplistic consisting of a rusty red finish
projecting vibrancy throughout the landscapes. It is a truly magnificent
building. You can see it from anywhere in the grounds and it invites
you to experience the old world from a new perspective
All in all, looking through the vibrant
structures with their simplistic forms and their dominant angles you
know that this is something that you should be a part of. A great
renovation of life has been undertaken balancing respect of the old with
the exciting life of the new. If Pombal castle could speak, its words would be: ‘It’s great to be brought back to life without changing a thing about my existence.’
from yatzer