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REGIONALIST PROJECTS OF ROGÉRIO DE AZEVEDO
Jo ge Cunha Pimen el
CEAA | Cen o de Es udos A naldo A aújo / Escola Supe io A ís ica do Po o -
ESAP, Po ugal
Abs ac
In he wo k o he a chi ec Rogé io de Aze edo – mos ly ealised om end o wen ies
o o ies – he egionalis op ion was always p esen . Some imes by his own ini ia i e,
some imes as an answe o he ules o go e nmen al p og ammes.
Rega dless o he condi ion o he S a e o wo k wi h egional ypes o buil in se ies,
supposedly espec ul o local sensi i i ies, he cons ain s and echnical ma e ials led he
a chi ec o adop ed echniques and app op ia e languages, in a pe sonal in e p e a ion,
we e mode nism and e nacula a e mixed. He e a decisi e ac o is he coun e poin
be ween he p ojec o he ci y and he p ojec o he u al en i onmen .
I in some cases he S a e o de was de e minan , in o he s, pa icula ly in p ojec s o
la e wen ies and ea ly o ies, he a chi ec and his ision o he ela ionship be ween
he placemen s, he ma e ials a ailable and exp essi e alues ha in o m his wo k, a e
he eason o being o his wo ks.
Keywo ds: Mode n A chi ec u e, A chi ec u e Ve nacula , Regionalism
The Es ado No o1
This is how he mos alen ed and inno a i e a chi ec s o his gene a ion 'build
he new pano ama o he wo ks o he sys em' (Tos ões, 2003, p. 113) explo ing
uncons ained language o an in e na ionalis model hey al eady expe ienced,
suppo ed by he new cons uc ion me hods, in an appa en adequacy o
mode nism o he o icial expec a ions.
de eloped nume ous in as uc u e cons uc ion p og ams and
equipmen in he hi ies. The coun y, mos ly u al and low economic
de elopmen , has been objec o a me hodical and s uc u al policy o public
wo ks ca ied ou by he will and powe o Dua e Pacheco, Minis e o Public
Wo ks and Communica ions and Salaza man o ac ion.
Bu he mode n op ion in his gene a ion o emb yonic mode nis a chi ec s
aining, al e na ing in hei p ac ices wi h egionalism o his o icis eclec icism,
is no an ideological, social o philosophical ques ion. Fo hem he mode n is
jus ano he s yle a ailable, a new way o build in eg a ing a unc ionalis and
1 The Es ado No o [New S a e], by some also called Second Po uguese Republic, is he name o
he au ho i a ian poli ical egime, au oc a and co po a e ha exis ed in Po ugal o 41 yea s,
since he 1933 Cons i u ion up o he 25 Ap il Re olu ion o 1974.
Jo ge Cunha Pimen el, REGIONALIST PROJECTS OF ROGÉRIO DE AZEVEDO
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a ionalis concep ion o a chi ec u e (Ma ins, 1999, p. 121). I 's a gene a ional
a i ude, e i alis aining eclec ic, be on linguis ic enewal 'wi hou in eg a ing
he ideological p inciples o in e na ional mode n mo emen ' (Tos ões, 2003, p.
110). On he o he hand, he inc easing use o in e na ional s anda ds in he
cons uc ion o mode nis public acili ies is unde s ood by he powe as ano he
"s yle". A mode a e s yle by monumen ali y and digni y alues ha a e pa o
he meaning o public wo k. And he idea o mode ni y associa ed wi h he
p og ess s eng hens, a his s age, he image o he powe .
Rogé io de Aze edo does no escape he con adic ions o i s co-gene a ion and
also he designed some public acili ies h ough a a ie y o languages. Examples
o his a e he Vila Flo and Pó oa de Va zim Municipali ies (ea ly hi ies) o he
Cap aincy o he po o Viana do Cas elo (1933).
Bu much o he equipmen p og ams wi h exp ession a na ional le el a e
de eloped using p ojec - ype egionalis ma ix. These egionalis cha ac e
conce ns do no appea o be linked o an ideological posi ion o hose who
o de , he e u n alues o a u ali y ha span he poli ical speech o inspi ing
models o na ionalis allegedly d awn, because a he ime did no exis . And he
Minis y o Public Wo ks deli e y implemen a ion o mode nis a chi ec s,
ex e nal o hei se ices, he eby ci cum en ing he sho comings o hei
s uc u es.
Among hese p og ams lies he Economic Houses, 1933. In i he Es ado No o
de ines i s policy on social housing. I is an inno a i e policy in wo ways: i s
because chooses he image o he english ga den ci y in e ms o ci y concep ;
second because es ablishing a new ype o con ac ual ela ionship wi h he
enan o his home. In he mon hly ins allmen o he pu chase o housing is
associa ed wi h an insu ance sys em o social p o ec ion as a means o secu e
he popula ion.
Public in e en ion in housing he u ban popula ion o lowe income is achie ed
h ough single- amily housing, an an i-collec i is model 'mo e in line wi h he
na ional cha ac e , mo e hygienic and mo e sui able o he ma e ial and mo al
s eng hening o he amily' (Casas Económicas, 1943, p. 16).
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The houses a e p esen ed om di e en classes aimed a di e en social s a a.
Only excep ionally, he cons uc ion o houses o all classes in he same housing
de elopmen , could be au ho ized. Howe e , 'in his case, he neighbo hood had
o be di ided in o di e en sec o s, playing well, o he bosom, social zoning
s a egy o icially de ended' (G os, 1994, p. 87). Wi h his model ha c ea e
small clus e s on he ou ski s o ci ies. They de ine a di e en ia ed u ban space
ha app oxima es he model neighbo hood o he ci y-ga den. Bu , gi en i s
small size, i s design 'iden i ies mo e wi h he ga den subu b' (Howell, 1999, p.
152).
The cons uc ion mus be o 'po uguese sa ou , ypically egional and can adap
o he building sys ems and cons uc ion ma e ials om di e en egions o he
coun y' (Casas Económicas, 1943, p. 17). I is by ollowing hese p ecep s ha
he Neighbo hoods Economic Houses, ha ing exp ession in he u ban ab ic,
p esen consis ing o di e en ypes o illas wi h ga den a he back and ga den
nex o he main acade, hus b eaking an idea o uni o mi y2
.
Figu e 1. Neighbo hood Economic Houses o Pa anhos,
Po o, unda ed. A chi e DGEMN: SIPA, IPA nº
PT011312100438, FOTO.0551323
2 Wo ked in p ojec design s anda d o he houses o all classes, all o which may p esen one o
wo loo s, a chi ec s such as Raul Lino Co eia, Rebelo de And ade, Cou o Ma ins, Albe o C uz o
Rogé io de Aze edo, among o he s. Wi h he implemen a ion o he p og am a e buil new
neighbo hoods in B aganca, B aga, Co ilhã, Lisbon, Po o, Fa o, São João da Madei a and Vila
Viçosa.
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A i s he Es ado No o ga e g ea e emphasis o he house han o he
neighbo hood. Howe e , he Economic Houses clus e s buil in he hi ies, in
Po o, we e o include he building o P ima y Schools ype Dou o so o
egionalised ype p ojec s, 1935, designed by Rogé io de Aze edo, a e mino
changes.
As in all wo ks ca ied ou by he Minis y o Public Wo ks, also he
Neighbo hoods Economic Houses we e abundan ly pho og aphed. I sough no a
documen a y eco d bu ob aining images o publicize hei achie emen h ough
he publica ions o he Na ional P opaganda Sec e a ia . Some o ha
pho og aphic eco d o wo k in he neighbo hoods o Po o i he s udio
Pho og aphia Al ão.
Bu pe haps he mos pa adigma ic case o he p og ams implemen ed by means
o s anda d p ojec s is he egionalized p ojec s- ypes o P ima y Schools
o icials o build in se ies, 1935.
Among he p ojec s wi h he Gene al Di ec o a e o Na ional Buildings and
Monumen s (DGEMN) began ope a ions in 1929 a e he Schools D . Al edo de
Magalhães in Viana do Cas elo dis ic . Rogé io de Aze edo p ojec ed six o hese
schools. Them e lec s he deep knowledge ha holds abou he school buil
he i age in he 20s and he conce n o in eg a e locally and play wi h adi ional
o e i alis cha ac e de ails.
Wi h he des uc ion o he P ima y School o Lou osa, mo i a ed by he need o
ee he Chu ch om all ou buildings3
3 Cu en p ac ice in es o a ion wo k o conduc ing su eys and s udies o he es o a ion o
monumen s. In his case he wo k was s a ed by o de o D . Al edo de Magalhães and p o usely
accompanied by he magazine Ilus ação Mode na and by Eng. Hen ique Gomes da Sil a (Di ec o -
Gene al DGEMN).
, is o de ed o Rogé io de Aze edo he
d a o a new school. This p ojec o a school building wo class ooms, hall,
cloak oom, eache s and co e ed a ium oom, consis s o wo s agge ed bodies
o ganized along wo o hogonal axes, a cen al body o a icula e all he spaces
and co e ed ec ea ion in he hollow o olume ic composi ion, will con amina e
o be eused by a chi ec wi h a ia ions in o he p ima y schools ha pe o ms
in he hi ies.
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321
Figu e 2. P ima y School o Lou osa, Oli ei a do Hospi al.
P ojec a chi ec s o Rogé io de Aze edo and Bal aza de
Cas o. Axonamé ica Vis a, 1930. Ass., Da .: Rogé io
Aze edo and Bal aza Cas o, a chi ec s, 12/08/1930.
Ilus ação Mode na, 5 h yea , No. 46, Augus 1930, p. 192.
Bu he Gene al Di ec o a e app o ed o ma e ialize p ojec s exp essing a ious
concep s held by di e en au ho s. Including he a chi ec Jo ge Segu ado4
In he ea ly yea s o his decade, he sys em aims o es ablish i sel in u al
socie y
wo king in ensi ely in school buildings, bu wi hou he inclusion o egionalis
conce ns aken by Rogé io de Aze edo.
5 by es ablishing a egime ha e e s o he local au ho i ies a sha e in
he wo ks o 50% o i s alue. Many o he school buildings a e cons uc ed by
popula ini ia i e, o he dona ed o subsidized by bene ac o s6
I is in his con ex ha Rogé io de Aze edo de elops, in collabo a ion wi h
Januá io Godinho, he School-Can een p ojec in Alijó (1930). I is an
.
4 Jo ge de Almeida Segu ado (1898-1990) de eloped se e al p ojec s o school buildings,
including he own o Es emoz (1931) and he own o Pombal (1932); p ojec ype o he
P ima y Schools o he Municipali y o Cascais (1931); building o Schools o Social Neighbo hood
A co do Cego, Lisbon (1932); Cen al School In an e D. Hen ique, Ang a do He oismo (1933)
among many o he s.
5 Dec ee No. 19502, Ma ch 1931 (published 03/24/31), de ined he Ru al Imp o emen policy,
s ipula ing a scheme o he cons uc ion, epai and adap a ion o oads and schools, allowing he
alloca ion o budge subsidies gene al S a e.
6 This ges u e is encou aged by he S a e ha gi es dono s he igh o indica e people o placing
eache s in hese schools. Dec ee No. 19531 o Ma ch 30, 1931.

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322
a chi ec u e buil in g ani e, obus and hick, in dialogue wi h he ma e ials and
he ansmon ana landscape, ' olume ically cha ac e ized om he o ganiza ion
o he plan ' (Ta a es, 2012, p. 35).
Since 1932 ha exis ed in DGEMN an a chi ec u e sec ion, headed by a chi ec
Guilhe me Rebello de And ade, eady o make new P ima y Schools p ojec s. O
hei e o s esul ed in he p esen a ion o a Memo y7
On he i s page appea s w i en ha p ojec s should be designed 'in
acco dance wi h he cha ac e is ics o he egional a chi ec u e, imposed no
only by he applica ion o hese ma e ials own egions bu also by clima e
changes'. And explici he idea: i is in ended o he assimila ion o new buildings
o he people, no hu ing ' hei e hnic sensi i i y' wi h exo ic elemen s o a
" a ionalism" o ced, despising he adi ion. Mo eo e , i is belie ed ha such
" a ionali y" well unde s ood, i akes local elemen s, combining hem wi h he
new cons uc ion ea u es.
, in 1933, in which he
p ecep s o be me by he school buildings o be cons uc ed by he go e nmen
a e de ined. In his Memo y a e some ules ha p e iously had no been
de ined.
On he nex page a e es ablished h ee main condi ions o he design o plan s:
1s - wi h he plan o a school o a place school-uni , sol e he plan s
om o he schools;
2nd - design hose plan s o be able o ake ad an age o all he land
wha e e exposu e o No h;
3 d - s anda diza ion o he cons uc ion o schools, o g oups, e en
hough hese g oups a e o med by schools o di e en numbe s o places.
The mainland is di ided in o six egions h ough he a ini ies in building
ma e ials esou ces, manpowe , cons uc ion p ocesses and clima e: Alga e;
7 An e-p ojec o do Plano Ge al de Tipos-Regionaes de Escolas P ima ias O iciais a Cons ui em
Sé ie – Memó ia. Lisbon, 14 Decembe 1933. Ass. The A chi ec Chie o Sec ion Guilhe me Rebello
de And ade. P ocess Expedien e-Ge al, he DGEMN - DGCE A chi e.
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323
Alen ejo; Ex emadu a; Bei a-Li o al; Bei a Baixa, Sou h; Bei a Baixa, No h,
Bei a-Al a, Minho and T ás-os-Mon es.
While he p ojec s o he Sou h dis ic s a e deli e ed o Raul Lino, he dis ic s
o No h and Cen al a e he esponsibili y o Rogé io de Aze edo.
Based on he designed p ojec in 1930 o he School o Lou osa, he chooses o
simpli y i s a ing om he class oom idea as a space cell, an idea al eady
p esen p e iously and consequen ly used in he p ojec s o p ima y schools
which had meanwhile ealized. Following a unc ional o ien a ion p esen s a
numbe o a ia ions o he same basic ype o building in he composi ion by
adding cells/ ooms ha a e epea ed, and se ing he maximum s anda diza ion.
The school's cen al space is he class oom.
Howe e some schools a e buil in esponse o eques s me in each case. The
special p ojec o he School-Can een Salaza (1938) is one o seeing au ho ized
i s comple ion. The school is buil in a pe i-u ban a ea, se he hillside, adap ing
o he mo phology o he e ain ha has a s eep slope. Buil in g ani e and
ea u ing a ec angula , composed and i egula , and a ho izon al a angemen
o he masses, consis s o olumes and co e di e en oo s, a ches in he
co e ed playg ound and a ela i e absence o deco a i e elemen s, o e ing
howe e wo aces . While he main ele a ion e lec s, in con inui y, p ojec s o
egional- ype schools, since he ea ele a ion, wi h some dis ance and c ea i e
eedom om his image, and aking ad an age o he slope, he ec ea ional
space and he a angemen o ooms class, has an almos o ganic composi ion,
s ong and deeply exp essi e in he ela ionship be ween mass and openings.
Jo ge Cunha Pimen el, REGIONALIST PROJECTS OF ROGÉRIO DE AZEVEDO
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Figu e 3. School-Can een Salaza . Vimiei o, San a Comba
Dão. Cu en pho o. A chi e DGEMN: SIPA, IPA nº
PT021814080009, FOTO.4051935.
Rogé io de Aze edo had c ea ed h oughou his wo k, and om a ious elemen s
base, ' ypes whose adap abili y and lexibili y solu ions a e bes exp essed in he
special p ojec o he School-Can een Salaza ', 'wo k ha syn hesizes he alues
se in p ojec s- ype egionalised ha a e p io ', no also ailing o e e o he
p ojec P ima y School o Lou osa (Pimen el, 2014, p. 55).
Wi h he egionalised s anda d p ojec s was ini ia ed o a pu i ica ion p ocess o
he cons i uen a eas o he school buildings. By he la e 60s he e olu ion o
hese buildings will be seamless. Al hough echnical and unc ional al e a ions
p ojec s always p esen he same concep space-school, dilu ing he language
exp esses hem h ough a p og essi e impo e ishmen o he implemen ed
solu ions.
On he o he hand he p og am o he Regional Inns o 1938-39, no a p ojec -
ype p og am, had as p econdi ions egionalism and he idea o a building
Sou he n Mode nisms: c i ical s ances h ough egional app op ia ions
Con e ence P oceedings. Po o, Feb ua y 19-21, 2015
325
model. One op ion al eady clea ly poli ical and co olla y o a pa h s a emen
alues consis en wi h he spi i o he Cen ena y Commemo a ions 19408
In o de o con ey an image o p og ess and enewal and simul aneously comba
pene a ion in he coun y o any sol en s and dis u bing ideas o uni y and
na ional in e es , he Es ado No o c ea es in 1933 he Na ional P opaganda
Sec e a ia (SPN)
.
9
Led by An onio Fe o, and in o de o mobilize he a s and le e s o iewing
sys em, con ibu es o he a i ma ion o a is s and mode nis s du ing he
hi ies. Howe e , he mos inno a i e we e al eady connec ed o impo an
in e en ions whose design p eda ed he c ea ion o he SPN.
.
Wi h he 'g ea mission' o ' aise he spi i o he Po uguese in knowledge han
i eally is and i ' - wo ds o Salaza in he inaugu al speech (Acciaiuoli, 1998, p.
14) - he policy o he spi i hen c ea ed by An onio Fe o, de elops a
s uc u ally holis ic and in eg a i e mode (Po ela, 1982, p. 59). Looking co e
a ious a eas in a mul idisciplina y way and in o de o e eal he coun y in i s
cul u al and popula aspec s, ou ism will be used by he Es ado No o o launch
he coun y's image ab oad.
In Oc obe 1933 opens he a eling exhibi ion o "Ho el Modelo", cons i u ed by
he epo o eigh a chi ec u al p ojec s o egional ho els p epa ed by eigh
young a chi ec s in i ed, culmina ion o a campaign on na ional ou ism issues
launched by he magazine O No ícias Ilus ado, di ec ed by Lei ão de Ba os, and
wi h he suppo o he Na ional Tou ism Council and he CP (Po uguese
Railways) and a p og am- egula ion p epa ed by Raul Lino. Ha ing shall be
in ended o p o ide guidance models o he p i a e sec o o he cons uc ion o
ho el acili ies ha ha e he cha ac e o la ge amily inns, e y com o able, bu
de oid o all he alse luxu y, acco ding o he egionalis p inciple, bo h he
o mal le el and in expe ience o he buildings in an a emp o es ablish a
pedagogy o new de elopmen s in he sec o , bucking he end o pe o ming
8 Celeb a ions o he Double Cen ena y o he Founda ion (1140) and Res o a ion (1640) o
Po ugal in 1940.
9 Re u bished in 1944, is now calling i sel he Na ional Sec e a ia o In o ma ion, Popula Cul u e
and Tou ism (SNI).
Jo ge Cunha Pimen el, REGIONALIST PROJECTS OF ROGÉRIO DE AZEVEDO
332
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Au ho iden i ica ion
Jo ge Cunha Pimen el. PhD in A chi ec u e, Uni e si y o Valladolid, wi h he esis
Ob a Pública de Rogé io de Aze edo. Os anos do SPN/SNI e da DGEMN. Di ec o o
Visual A s Depa emen (DAV), ESAP. Resea che o CEAA, ui&D 4041 o FCT, in
A chi ec u al S udies esea ch g oup. Resea ch p ojec s: 2013-2014 – P incipal
esea che o he p ojec D awing o A chi ec u e in he Twen ie h Cen u y P e-digi al
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