263
HYDROELECTRIC TOWNS IN PORTUGAL
Césa Machado Mo ei a
Cen o de Es udos A naldo A aújo/ Uni e sidade Lusíada de Famalicão/ Po o / Po ugal
Abs ac
Du ing he 20 h cen u y, he p oduc ion o elec ici y by hyd oelec ic me hods b ough
abou d ama ic modi ica ions in he Po uguese landscape. This pape looks a he wo k
p oduced by a chi ec Januá io Godinho be ween 1945 and 1964 o he Cá ado
Hyd oelec ic Company (HICA), and his design on di e en le els o he hyd oelec ic
complex on he Cá ado Ri e , loca ed in he inland egion o T ás-os-Mon es in he no h
o Po ugal.
HICA and he a chi ec u e o Januá io Godinho add esses he ela ionship be ween
echnological de elopmen and s uc u al concep ion, and he use o design on a la ge-
scale landscape o o e come he limi s o 'mode n a chi ec u e'. The disp opo iona e
nexus o scale be ween he ope a ion i sel , he obsession o he Po uguese poli ical
body and he e hnog aphic in e es s o he in ellec uals c ea ed a clash ha may b ing
abou a new unde s anding o he ac s when looked a in ela ion o he deba e on
con empo a y planning.
Loca ed a a g ea dis ance om majo ci ies, e y di icul o ge o and wi h e y ew, i
any, esou ces a ailable, he s uc u es buil by HICA necessi a ed he c ea ion o a
se ies o small, b and-new u ban se lemen s. New se ings we e designed, which ell
somewhe e be ween he wo appa en ly opposed wo lds o he illage and he
hyd oelec ic powe s a ion. Places wi h economic, social and cul u al dimensions such
as houses, schools, chu ches and o he social a eas coexis ed wi h wo kplaces, dams,
hyd oelec ic powe s a ions and con ol cen es. The mixed na u e o hese ac i i ies,
which we e supe imposed on he p e iously exis ing low-income ag icul u al s uc u e,
c ea ed o iginal landscapes as well as an al e na i e app oach o unde s anding
Po uguese pos -wa a chi ec u e.
The me hods used o p oduce his landscape o in as uc u e we e plain: poli ical will
suppo ed by echnical knowledge, esul ing in he c ea ion o a layou in which a
cul u al app oach would in o m he design. Bu i we a e asking wo appa en ly neu al
ques ions, a hi d e y simple one also eme ges. Wha did he landscape o Cá ado look
like be o e he cons uc ion p ocess began? How did he echnicians and a chi ec s b ing
abou i s ans o ma ion? I we ake a look a he a chi ec u al p oduc ion ha eme ged
he e, he answe does no seem clea . The ques ion, hen, is: wha we e he models
used in he p oduc ion o his landscape? Can hey be ound in he mids o he pos -wa
a chi ec u al deba e?
Keywo ds: Hyd oelec ic, Godinho, Regionalism, A chi ec u e
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264
“I is no enough o copy and combine elemen s
b ough om he e and he e, i ing he
desc ip ion o whoe e you like, in o de o y o
c ea e a chi ec u e.”1
In oduc ion
In 1944, law numbe 2002 on he elec i ica ion o he coun y, concei ed by
Fe ei a Dias (1900-1966), es ablished he amewo k o he p oduc ion,
anspo and dis ibu ion o elec ici y in Po ugal. In July 1945 he go e nmen
announced i s policy on la ge hyd oelec ic p ojec s, and c ea ed he en i ies
needed - he Zêze e Hyd oelec ic Company (Hid oeléc ica do Zêze e - HEZ)
and he Cá ado Hyd oelec ic Company (Hid oeléc ica do Cá ado - HICA) - o
emba k on he ambi ious p og amme o elec i ica ion o he coun y.
This ope a ion, gi en Po ugal's pas expe ience wi h hyd oelec ici y,
ep esen ed a subs an ial leap in bo h quan i a i e and quali a i e e ms ela i e
o size and complexi y o he p ojec s, equi ing a dep h o knowledge and
a ailabili y o means hi he o unseen in a Po uguese con ex . (LUCENA, 2004)
Al hough ha ing scan p io expe ience in his ield, he companies ad anced
immedia ely on he cons uc ion o la ge dams on Po ugal's majo i e s. This
p ocess, which was no une en ul, came o be a pa o he his o y o mode n
a chi ec u e in Po ugal.
HICA was c ea ed o he pu pose o b inging o ui ion he hyd oelec ic
de elopmen o he Cá ado-Rabagão basin sys em2
1 LINO, Raul, A nossa casa, Apon amen os sob e o bom gôs o na cons ução das casas simples
[ou house, no es on good as e in he cons uc ion o basic houses], A lân ida, 2ºedição, p.75
, conside ed o be he second
2 The Cá ado is one o ou i e s whose cou se lies en i ely in Po ugal, wi h i s sou ce in he
La ouco moun ain a an al i ude o 1527 me es, and unning in a no h-eas e ly/sou h-eas e ly
di ec ion o 129 Km be o e inally emp ying in o he A lan ic Ocean a Esposende. I s
hyd og aphic basin co e s an a ea o 1589 Km2 and is bo de ed by he moun ains o La ouco,
Ge ês, Ba osos and Cab ei a.
Césa Machado Mo ei a, Hyd oelec ic owns in Po ugal
265
la ges hyd og aphic basin o he po en ial p oduc ion o ene gy in Po ugal.3
The high ain all egis e ed in he moun ainous pa o he cou se o he Cá ado
allowed o he cons uc ion, on his i e and i s ibu a ies, o one o he
la ges g oups o dams in he coun y, wi h HICA planning and building i e
dams a : Venda No a (1951), Salamonde (1953), Caniçada (1955), Pa adela
(1958) and Al o Rabagão (1964).
I s
dams and powe s a ions, sp ead h oughou he alleys o he Cá ado i e and
i s ibu a ies, we e loca ed in he P o ince o En e-Dou o-e-Minho in he No h-
Wes o Po ugal, in he geog aphical egion o he No h A lan ic (RIBEIRO,
1991, p.145). This egion is cha ac e ized by he ugged peaks and la summi s
o he Peneda, Soajo, Ama ela and Ge ês moun ain anges, i s ac u e alleys
and young slopes being home o he sou ces o he i e s Minho, Lima, Cá ado,
Homem and A e (BRITO, 1994, P.49).
The loca ions chosen o he cons uc ion o hese dams, a om he p incipal
u ban cen es, we e no , howe e , comple ely uninhabi ed. Despi e di icul ies o
clima e and opog aphy, he egion was ma ked h oughou by a s ong human
p esence, a ac con i med by se e al s udies ca ied ou a he ime.
The essen ially moun ainous loca ion, and he way o li e ha cha ac e ized he
economic eali y and social li e o he esiden communi ies (OLIVEIRA,
GALHANO, 1992, p.130), led o an economic sys em based on wo main
ac i i ies: ca le-g azing and ag icul u e. Du ing he i s hal o he 20 h cen u y
hose ac i i ies, which de e mined he ype o se lemen s ha exis ed in he
in e io o he coun y, we e he subjec o a numbe o s udies. Wo king wi h
ma e ials ha we e dis inc om each o he , he g oups o geog aphe s,
e hnologis s, enginee s and a chi ec s each pu sued a simila objec i e: a s udy
o he cul u e o inland Po ugal, i s people and i s adi ional buildings. Wi h
simila me hods o compiling he da a ha was o be used o desc ibe and
in e p e he ma e ial collec ed, hese di e en g oups we e able o cons uc
landscapes ha could be desc ibed, inhabi ed, analysed and gi en o m.
Be ween 1938 and 1939, geog aphe O lando Ribei o (1911-1997) published his
Su ey o Regional Geog aphy (Inqué i o de Geog a ia Regional 1938) and
3 The hyd og aphic basin o he Dou o i e is he la ges , bu dependence on Spain caused
cons uc ion a his si e o be delayed, wi h he s a e i s op ing o p oceed wi h de elopmen s on
he i e s Cá ado and Zêze e.
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266
Su ey o Ru al Habi a s (Inqué i o do Habi a Ru al 1939). Be ween 1942 and
1947 i was he u n o he ag icul u al scien is s o publish hei Su ey on Ru al
Housing (Inqué i o à Habi ação Ru al)4. Be ween he 1940s and 1960s se e al
a icles we e published in specialis jou nals on he wo k o an h opologis
E nes o Veiga de Oli ei a (1910-1990) who wo ked wi h e hnog aphe Fe nando
Galhano (1904-1995)5
Reading hese documen s con i ms “... he enewed in e es in local adi ions
ha lay behind he en husiasm wi h which [ he s udies] we e ca ied ou ...”
(COSTA, 1980, p.23) and pe mi s unde s anding o he p ac ices used by he
di e en eams in he collec ion and eco ding o in o ma ion. These 4 examples
ep esen di e en ways o looking a he land, he in e es in u al se lemen ,
he a en ion paid o po e y, and o he mode n ea u es and p oduc i e ole o
popula a chi ec u e, ansla ing in o he di e en iewpoin s ha in o m hose
dis inc ways o seeing he landscape.
and, in 1961, i was he u n o he a chi ec s, wi h hei
publica ion o a Su ey on Po uguese Regional A chi ec u e (Inqué i o à
A qui ec u a Regional Po uguesa).
These s udies allow us o see ha up o he 1950s when he dams began o be
cons uc ed, he landscape had emained i ually unal e ed (RIBEIRO, 1995,
p.294) wi h he esiden popula ions and hei u al li es yles being he main
p o agonis s in he long and sub le p ocess o he cons uc ion o hose
landscapes (DOMINGUES, 2001, p, 59).
Fo he cons uc ion o he dams and all he associa ed in as uc u e, HICA had
o ind skilled pe sonnel whe e e i could, b inging hem o he cons uc ion
si es and, la e , o he powe s a ions. This need o pe sonnel esul ed in he
4 Two olumes we e published. A he end o he 1940s, he publica ion o he hi d olume o he
Su ey on Ru al Housing ca ied ou by he ag icul u al scien is s was s opped by he Es ado No o,
due o i s o e ly nega i e iew o he condi ions o u al housing. This hi d olume was published
in 2013 by he Uni e sidade écnica de Lisboa, Inqué i o à habi ação u al, Lisboa, UTL, 2013
5 Du ing his pe iod, many s udies ca ied ou by an h opologis s we e published spo adically in
di e en specialis magazines. I is only in mo e ecen imes ha hese ha e been compiled o
publica ion. Such is he case wi h he wo k ca ied ou by E nes o Veiga de Oli ei a and Fe nando
Galhano, “Cons uções P imi i as em Po ugal" [p imi i e cons uc ions in Po ugal], Lisboa, Dom
Quixo e, 1988 and “A qui ec u a T adicional Po uguesa” [ adi ional Po uguese a chi ec u e],
Lisboa, Dom Quixo e, 1992. Two impo an s udies on he No h o Po ugal, di ec ed by Jo ge
Dias (1907-1973), we e published in hose yea s, “Vila inho das Fu nas, Uma aldeia comuni á ia"
[Vila inho das Fu nas, a communi y illage], 1948 and Rio de Ono , Comuni a ismo ag o-pas o il
[Rio de Ono , ag o-pas o al communi a ianism], 1953.
Césa Machado Mo ei a, Hyd oelec ic owns in Po ugal
267
mo emen , some imes o e long dis ances, o la ge numbe s o wo ke s o all
le els who had o ake sudden lea e o hei homelands, lea ing behind hei
amilies, iends and in e es s. “These wo ke s ound hemsel es, all o a
sudden, in he middle o unknown e ain, whe e e e y hing was new o hem:
he wo k i sel , a wa e way ha was uninhabi ed, he habi s and adi ions o a
egion, e en he language i sel ...”6 Adap a ion o a new eali y was made wo se
by he di e se na u e o he pe sonnel in ol ed, om uppe -managemen s a ,
wi h hei uni e si y and highe -le el s udies who we e employed o wo k in he
powe s a ions, o he mos humble o unskilled wo ke s, who had only he mos
basic le els o educa ion and we e e y o en illi e a e, who li ed and wo ked on
he cons uc ion si es. The o me consis ed o a smalle g oup o pe sonnel wi h
pe manen posi ions, in loca ions whe e he quan i y o unskilled labou was
small. On he cons uc ion si es howe e he numbe o wo ke s was much
la ge , and hey we e mos ly wo king on ixed- e m con ac s o a a ie y o
di e en employe s. In his g oup, le els o unskilled o low-le el skills we e
high. The placemen o hese wo ke s in a -away loca ions which did no ha e
sui able li ing condi ions mean ha di e en ypes o accommoda ion had o be
buil . Du ing he ime ha cons uc ion wo k was unde way, he wo ke s li ed
in p e- ab ica ed hu s nex o he cons uc ion si es. Fo he employees a he
powe s a ions, he company, in line wi h he social model in use a he ime by
many la ge indus ies, called on p o essionals – a chi ec s – o design he
se lemen s ha would ac as li ing qua e s and small u ban cen es.7
When i came o he planning and design o he buildings o he se lemen s o
Venda No a, Salamonde and Caniçada, HICA wo ked wi h ou side a chi ec
Januá io Godinho. The inal se lemen , in Pisões, Al o Rabagão, was designed
by he company's s a a chi ec s, wi h he majo i y o p ojec s being a ibu ed
Loca ed
nex o he powe s a ions, hese cen es econ igu ed a la ge indus ial
landscape in which hei p esence is seen as being equally ele an and as
impo an as he powe s a ions and he dams.
6 Minu es om he deba e held by Hica in 1957 “P oblemas sociais ine en es a uma g ande
emp esa hid oeléc ica” [social p oblems inhe en o a la ge hyd oelec ic company] ATVN. p.(2.6)
6
7 See also on his subjec : Deolinda Folgado, O luga da indus ia no e i ó io, in A a qui ec u a da
indus ia [ he a chi ec u e o indus y], 1925-1965, Regis o Docomomo Ibé ico, Ba celona, Ac a ,
2006, pp.80-90

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o João Cas elo B anco.8
To house he pe sonnel who would be in cha ge o unning he Vila No a powe
s a ion, HICA buil , nex o he powe s a ion, a small g oup o houses, a
Pousada - hos el and some suppo ing buildings.
The Pousada o Pisões, he only building o he g oup
designed by Januá io Godinho, was he las building ha his a chi ec designed
o HICA.
The se lemen was placed on a hillside on he le side o he Cá ado i e ,
a ound 800m om he powe s a ion building, acing he u u e ese oi o he
Salamonde dam, he second o be c ea ed by HICA. In Janua y, Januá io
Godinho p esen ed “... de ailed plans o he houses o be buil in he se lemen
a ached o he powe s a ion, wi h he Boa d ha ing de ini i ely chosen he
ypes o houses o manage s and wo ke s... “9
In Salamonde, wi h he expe ience gained om wo k on Venda No a, HICA was
al eady awa e o he need o c ea ing accommoda ion a he si e o he nex
dam o echnicians and wo ke s o li e in while cons uc ion wo k was aking
place on he dam and ela ed p ojec s. By planning o hese o be de ini i e
s uc u es, HICA could la e use hem o house he employees who would be
unning he powe s a ion.
Once he loca ions o he dam and powe s a ion we e inalized, HICA enginee s
decided on he si ing o he dwellings, choosing he sou h bank o he Cá ado
i e , ups eam om he dam on a sou h-wes acing hillside, which would be
eached by he new access oad buil o he dam. In con as o wha had
happened ela i e o he se lemen o Venda No a, which had in ol ed a lo o
indecision and a a ie y o loca ions discussed o he building wo k, in
Salamonde, “... he need o loca e he ins alla ions close o he wo k and o
p o ide he app op ia e exposu e, dic a ed he choice o loca ion and he
bounda ies o he a ea o be occupied.”10
The p oposal highligh ed h ee main objec i es: he loca ion o he buildings a
highe ele a ions, non-in e e ence wi h he spa se ege a ion ha exis ed, and
he choice o iews o he sou h and wes a he han owa ds he u u e
8 In Pa adela howe e , he e was no need o build a se lemen , gi en ha he wa e o he dam
a ha le el wen o he powe s a ion a Venda No a whe e i hen en e ed he u bine.
9 Minu es no. 182, o 19 Janua y 1949, AHME, ARCAHICA. p.2
10 P ojec b ie , ins alla ions o he dam a Salamonde, signed by he chie enginee o he ci il
enginee ing depa men , 20 June 1950, ATEDP, PRT-1944-00004. p.1
Césa Machado Mo ei a, Hyd oelec ic owns in Po ugal
269
ese oi which would mean ha he houses would ha e o be u ned o ace
no h.
In he plans ha Godinho d ew up, he houses - 10 in o al - we e spli in o wo
g oups adap ed o he slope o he e ain. The de ached buildings ise ou o he
e ain in o de o make bes use o he landscape, hei main açades acing
sou h/wes , o ake in iews o he alley. Lowe down, he o he açades nes le
in o he hillside o es on g ani e walls, a solu ion iden ical o he one ound o
he houses in he se lemen o he Venda No a powe s a ion. The main oad,
which goes a ound he se lemen , e mina es a he hos el building, and om i
adia e a numbe o sho pa hs p o iding access o he houses. Clea ly
sepa a e om he main oad, he houses ha e a special posi ioning in ela ion o
he new opog aphy and exposu e o he sun.
The p ocess o building he Caniçada dam u ned ou o be e y simila o ha o
Salamonde. The ype o dam ha was chosen, he sub e anean na u e o he
powe s a ion and he p oximi y be ween he di e en sec ions we e all poin s
ha we e adop ed in he same way o Caniçada.
The enginee s decided ha he si e should be e y close o he dam and ha i
should occupy as small an a ea as possible11
Following simila lines o he wo k al eady ca ied ou , he gene al building plans
en isioned o he same si e no only he de ini i e buildings, bu also hose ha
we e empo a y and could be aken down.
, indica ing as a sui able loca ion he
land nex o he EN 308 oad, downs eam om he ese oi , on he sou h-
acing hillside.
The p oximi y o he buildings des ined o accommoda ion o he owns o Ge ês
and Ama es mean ha in his case ewe houses we e planned when compa ed
o p e ious le els o he hyd oelec ic sys em, and ha he e would also be no
need o a Pousada.12
11 The high alue o he land nex o he dam a Caniçada made o di icul nego ia ions wi h he
locals who li ed in he illages ha would be a ec ed by he cons uc ion o ha sec ion o he
hyd oelec ic sys em. The exp op ia ion o land needed o he sec ion a Caniçada was, due o he
size and he quali y o he land o be pu chased, a p oblem ha would o ce HICA o spend a much
g ea e sum o money o he same pu pose han had been p e iously spen a he o he si es.
As hese nea by loca ions we e se ed by schools and
chapels, hese we e no included in he plans made by HICA o he se lemen
12 Minu es no. 333, 20 No embe 1951, AHME, ARCAHICA, G 1.1.1-2. p.1
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a Caniçada, which was he eby educed o a small collec ion o houses ha was
sp ead along he main oad.
Figu e 1. Te aced houses belonging o
he 1s phase cons uc ed a he Vila
No a se lemen , 1951 – Pho og aphy
Al ão, A chi e da EDP, Po o
The ypes o house chosen o pe manen housing in he se lemen we e
e sions o ype B and C houses designed 2 yea s p e iously o he se lemen
a Vila No a. The solu ions ound o hei in e io a eas a e p ac ically iden ical
o hose o he houses a Vila No a, wi h di e ences being isible only in he
ela ionships ha he houses es ablished wi h he landscape.
In line wi h he imes, he houses we e posi ioned in acco dance wi h a social
hie a chy de ined by HICA, wi h he i s g oup o houses, loca ed in he quie es
a ea and ha ing he bes oad access, aimed a hose o a manage ial le el.
The ma e ials and he language used we e he same as hose used in he
wo ke s housing se lemen s a Salamonde and Vila No a: iled, gabled oo s,
plas e ed walls, isible g ani e basemen s, and window ames and blinds in
wood.
Cons uc ion wo k on he 5 h le el o he hyd oelec ic sys em was he la ges
p ojec ha HICA ca ied ou . A one poin du ing cons uc ion, he si e a Al o
Rabagão had o e 4,000 people a wo k, who oge he wi h hei amilies led o
a o al esiden popula ion o o e 12,000.13
13 Repo , Balance Shee and Opinion o he Supe iso y Boa d. HICA S.A.R.L. Financial yea
nine een, 1964. AHME. p.15
Césa Machado Mo ei a, Hyd oelec ic owns in Po ugal
271
In 1958, he i s gene al plans we e made o he ins alla ions ha we e o
become pa o he la ge cons uc ion si e, which ook he name o he nea es
loca ion, Pisões. Wi h he expe ience ob ained on p e ious le els o he
hyd oelec ic sys em, and he la ge numbe o wo ke s expec ed o he
cons uc ion si e, he ins alla ions we e di ided in o wo ypes.
Some we e empo a y, o use du ing cons uc ion, and o he s, mo e
pe manen , would be used du ing cons uc ion and would hen make up he
de ini i e se lemen o he wo ke s who would be ope a ing he hyd oelec ic
powe s a ion.
The gene al plans o he wo g oups o buildings we e inished be ween May
and July 1958. The empo a y buildings we e decided on i s , o be loca ed on a
hillside on he igh -hand-side o he i e nex o he dam and he powe
s a ion, close o Km 117 o na ional oad E.N.103, be ween B aga and Cha es,
nea Pisões.14
As well as planning o di e en ypes o dwelling and do mi o ies, a hos o
p o isional suppo ing se ices we e also included, such as schools, a hospi al, a
social cen e, a cinema, a chapel and a shopping a ea.
Pe manen buildings we e decided on du ing a second s age, o be
loca ed on he same hillside, in an a ea ha was highe and la e .
15
The plans o he se lemen a Pisões ollowed a simila pa e n o he p e ious
ones. Loca ed on a hillside sloping downwa ds N-S owa ds he ese oi and he
dam, i included a se ies o de ached and e aced houses as well as a g oup o
acili ies, in an a ea o o e 8 hec a es.
As had al eady
happened p e iously on cons uc ion si es a p e ious le els, se e al o hose
ins alla ions, which we e p e ab ica ed, we e ans e ed om he si e a
Pa adela once cons uc ion wo k a ha loca ion had come o an end.
A he end o 1958, as well as he se lemen buil o he u u e pe manen s a
o he powe s a ion, con aining 40 de ached houses, he e we e also 349
14 The pa ish o Vila da Pon e in he municipali y o Mon aleg e.
15 The gene al plans o accommoda ion and ins alla ions o 09/05/1958 s a ed: 1 Do mi o y o
highe -le el pe sonnel, 1 Do mi o y o manage s, 1 B1 House, 3 B Houses, 1 Bc House, 10 C
Houses, 3 Cc Houses, 1 I House, 6 E Houses, 6 Ec Houses, 4 Rows o 4 D Houses, 8 Rows o o 2 L
houses, 1 Row o 2 Lc houses, 1 L’ house, 1 School wi h wo adjoining ooms, 1 Po ch – Ga age, 1
Do mi o y o auxilia y s a , 2 Do mi o ies o specialis s a , 2 Showe blocks, 75 Rows o 4
houses o wo ke s, 1 Public washing ank, 1 School wi h 2 ooms and a can een, 1 Do mi o y o
40 wo ke s, 1 Do mi o y o 80 wo ke s, 1 Ki chen wi h o en – e ec o y, 1 Gene al ki chen –
e ec o y, 1 Coope a i e, 1 Co e ed po ch a ea, o comme ce, 1 Na ional Gua d pos , 1 Social
Cen e o wo ke s, 1 Hospi al, 1 Gene al O ice, 1 Labo a o y, 1 Wa ehouse.