Indulto Á Ponte
Basic information
Project Title
Indulto Á Ponte
Full project title
Indulto Á Ponte: From territorial infrastructure to Urban Intervention
Category
Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking
Project Description
57 years after it´s inauguration, Lisbon's most important symbol is dying and facing imminent restructuring. Otherwise, the deterioration would make it image be lost forever.
Indulto Á Ponte is therefore born from material responsibility, about what to do with those materials that seem to have consumed their useful life.
2,700 tons of steel as free construction material, which, thanks to its recycling, it can be given to the city of Lisbon by reintegrating the bridge into the urban fabric.
Indulto Á Ponte is therefore born from material responsibility, about what to do with those materials that seem to have consumed their useful life.
2,700 tons of steel as free construction material, which, thanks to its recycling, it can be given to the city of Lisbon by reintegrating the bridge into the urban fabric.
Geographical Scope
Local
Project Region
Lisbon, Portugal
Urban or rural issues
Mainly urban
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
The project doesn´t start with an invented narrative; it begins when the President of Portugal Infrastructures estimates just 50 more years of useful life for perhaps the most important monument in all Lisbon.
2,700 steel tons as a free construction material, which, thanks to its recycling, will not emit 10,000 tons of CO2 and can be given as a gift to the city of Lisbon by reintegrating the bridge into the urban context. The project is now considered a process, encompassing everything from the technical to the creative part of the design.
Starting with the dismantling and pick up of the pieces. These are transferred to the workshop element, located on the industrial coast near Alcántara neighborhood, which allows to analyze, solve the pathologies and prepare the pieces for their diffusion and final implantation in the city.
At the exit of this workshop, the original sections begin to vary in morphology. The design of the project will be the structural material doing its work. Implanting the new structure that transforms the pieces into optimal, rigid and habitable elements. Obtaining as a result, structural framing, where we are able to recognize the original pieces, and at the same time, the added structure, necessary to house its new structural function.
Knowing the system, we start the last part of the project, how to use the pieces of the bridge and the type of implementations that can result.
The Lisbon City Council publishes every year the sites in need of intervention, what better than to link the gift of these pieces to these spaces?
The project describes three interventions in Lisbon, but the most beautiful thing is that there could be 3 or there could be 30, they could be large artifacts or host more domestic scales, being completely different narratives but certainly implicit in the project.
The Result: A bridge that has given up its parts, that is now younger. What was once a bridge is now city and the monument still in Lisbon.
2,700 steel tons as a free construction material, which, thanks to its recycling, will not emit 10,000 tons of CO2 and can be given as a gift to the city of Lisbon by reintegrating the bridge into the urban context. The project is now considered a process, encompassing everything from the technical to the creative part of the design.
Starting with the dismantling and pick up of the pieces. These are transferred to the workshop element, located on the industrial coast near Alcántara neighborhood, which allows to analyze, solve the pathologies and prepare the pieces for their diffusion and final implantation in the city.
At the exit of this workshop, the original sections begin to vary in morphology. The design of the project will be the structural material doing its work. Implanting the new structure that transforms the pieces into optimal, rigid and habitable elements. Obtaining as a result, structural framing, where we are able to recognize the original pieces, and at the same time, the added structure, necessary to house its new structural function.
Knowing the system, we start the last part of the project, how to use the pieces of the bridge and the type of implementations that can result.
The Lisbon City Council publishes every year the sites in need of intervention, what better than to link the gift of these pieces to these spaces?
The project describes three interventions in Lisbon, but the most beautiful thing is that there could be 3 or there could be 30, they could be large artifacts or host more domestic scales, being completely different narratives but certainly implicit in the project.
The Result: A bridge that has given up its parts, that is now younger. What was once a bridge is now city and the monument still in Lisbon.
Key objectives for sustainability
Indulto Á ponte is a project that was born with a clear narrative and an existing problem. Part of material responsibility. Capable of showing us that a sustainable and ecological project is not only about building with renewable materials and producing low-emission systems...; This project plot addresses the issue of recycling, of what to do with those materials that seem to have consumed their useful life and there is no other way to address them than contaminating scrapping.
57 years after its inauguration, Lisbon's most important political symbol is dying and facing imminent restructuring. A restoration project signed 18 months ago dictates the necessary replacement of 13 sections of its opening; Otherwise, the deterioration would make it impassable, and its image would be lost forever.
Currently, architecture wastes 5,000 tons of steel per day that are thrown into the Garbage, contaminating the entire process. But steel is a material that does not lose its qualities. The tools were already in Lisbon, you just had to use them.
That is why it is determined not to end the useful life cycle of this material, but to extend it and take advantage of it and give it to the city itself to fulfill a new purpose.
Furthermore, the proposal of the project as a process favors the ideation of sustainable proposals in each of its phases, from the removal of these pieces in the estuary, until their arrival in the city itself.
57 years after its inauguration, Lisbon's most important political symbol is dying and facing imminent restructuring. A restoration project signed 18 months ago dictates the necessary replacement of 13 sections of its opening; Otherwise, the deterioration would make it impassable, and its image would be lost forever.
Currently, architecture wastes 5,000 tons of steel per day that are thrown into the Garbage, contaminating the entire process. But steel is a material that does not lose its qualities. The tools were already in Lisbon, you just had to use them.
That is why it is determined not to end the useful life cycle of this material, but to extend it and take advantage of it and give it to the city itself to fulfill a new purpose.
Furthermore, the proposal of the project as a process favors the ideation of sustainable proposals in each of its phases, from the removal of these pieces in the estuary, until their arrival in the city itself.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
What do we do with these great infrastructures that are part of our cities and heritage but we know that they are outdated and that they cannot be abandoned or dismantled with impunity? A condition that is currently essential to integrate into the project of the new European Bauhaus. And it is reflected in this project, thanks to 0 demolition, reconstruction, conversion and reuse.
Indulto Á Ponte is also a gift for all citizens not only of Lisbon, but of all of Portugal. A political symbol that marks and dictates the history of the country itself cannot end that way. That is why the reconversion of these pieces into tangible and palpable elements for citizens will be one of the fundamental factors.
A bridge that has always coexisted with them as a major infrastructure but that has never been part of their urban fabric and context is now capable of being transformed to fulfill a new function of cultural facilities in various parts of the city.
One of its greatest virtues is undoubtedly the ability of the proposal to house and generate new mythologies, generate new lives, just as an organ donor is capable of people improving their quality of life, this project contains that essence and urban quality. Awakens a need for
want to see and discover more proposals; The project describes three interventions in the city of Lisbon, but the most beautiful thing is that there could be 3 or there could be 30, they could be large artifacts or host more domestic scales, being completely different narratives but which are certainly implicit in the project. What was a bridge is now a city and the monument is still from Lisbon.
Indulto Á Ponte is also a gift for all citizens not only of Lisbon, but of all of Portugal. A political symbol that marks and dictates the history of the country itself cannot end that way. That is why the reconversion of these pieces into tangible and palpable elements for citizens will be one of the fundamental factors.
A bridge that has always coexisted with them as a major infrastructure but that has never been part of their urban fabric and context is now capable of being transformed to fulfill a new function of cultural facilities in various parts of the city.
One of its greatest virtues is undoubtedly the ability of the proposal to house and generate new mythologies, generate new lives, just as an organ donor is capable of people improving their quality of life, this project contains that essence and urban quality. Awakens a need for
want to see and discover more proposals; The project describes three interventions in the city of Lisbon, but the most beautiful thing is that there could be 3 or there could be 30, they could be large artifacts or host more domestic scales, being completely different narratives but which are certainly implicit in the project. What was a bridge is now a city and the monument is still from Lisbon.
Key objectives for inclusion
A project that starts from the use of free construction material already represents great savings for its performance. The implementation of these pieces in the city has also been deeply studied. Before selecting the plots, the Lisbon city council has been consulted to ask about the location of those spaces of need, which the city council updates the list annually. That is to say, not only is it a project that aims to give these fragments to the city as public and cultural facilities, but they will also be located in spaces of need that will significantly benefit the context where they are implemented and will benefit the prosperous recovery of the neighborhood.
On the other hand, to guarantee this gift to the entire population, the inclusion of all accessibility systems in the building has been carefully studied, guaranteeing access to any pub in it and its route to any type of individual with any condition.
On the other hand, to guarantee this gift to the entire population, the inclusion of all accessibility systems in the building has been carefully studied, guaranteeing access to any pub in it and its route to any type of individual with any condition.
How Citizens benefit
Citizens are an essential part of the project; in fact, without them none of the actions implemented would make sense. A project that is understood as a gift of a symbol of the city that goes from being infrastructure to being part of the urban fabric.
A project that is located in the areas of need in the city to further benefit the recovery of the neighborhoods after its implementation. What's more, it will be the citizens themselves who will be able to decide and vote for the implementation areas that they most need for the arrival of new fragments to their neighborhoods and their revitalization.
Furthermore, generating within each implementation an open and public program for all citizens without restrictions or limitations.
A project that is located in the areas of need in the city to further benefit the recovery of the neighborhoods after its implementation. What's more, it will be the citizens themselves who will be able to decide and vote for the implementation areas that they most need for the arrival of new fragments to their neighborhoods and their revitalization.
Furthermore, generating within each implementation an open and public program for all citizens without restrictions or limitations.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
Innovative character
Indulto Á Ponte is an enormously innovative proposal, it would be the first time that an operation has been carried out where a large infrastructure becomes part of the urban fabric itself through material responsibility and reconversion, a gift to an entire city.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
For the development of this project, a large number of different fields have been addressed. It must be taken into account that this project is approached as a process, from the removal of the obsolete parts of the bridge itself, to its repair and implementation in the city as a new public building. That is why the different fields have been part of each of the phases of the project, Infrastructure, construction, engineering, public administration.
Methodology used
The project methodology is very concise. First, it starts from the investigation of the infrastructural element, in this case the 25 de Abril bridge and the parts of its span that are damaged and need imminent renovation.
Starting with the dismantling and pick up of the pieces, while the bridge continues its function. These are transferred to the workshop element, located on the industrial coast near Alcántara neighborhood, which allows to analyze, solve the pathologies and prepare the pieces for their diffusion and final implantation in the city.
At the exit of this workshop, the original sections begin to vary in morphology. The design of the project will be the structural material doing its work. Implanting the new structure that transforms the piece into an optimal, rigid and habitable element. Obtaining as a result, structural framing, where we are able to recognize the original pieces, and at the same time, the added structure, necessary to house its new structural function.
Knowing the system, we start the last part of the project, how to use the pieces of the bridge and the type of implementations that can result.
The Lisbon City Council publishes every year a bulletin where it locates the sites in need of intervention, what better than to link the gift of these pieces to these spaces?
The project describes three interventions in the city of Lisbon, but the most beautiful thing is that there could be 3 or there could be 30, they could be large artifacts or host more domestic scales, being completely different narratives but certainly implicit in the project.
Starting with the dismantling and pick up of the pieces, while the bridge continues its function. These are transferred to the workshop element, located on the industrial coast near Alcántara neighborhood, which allows to analyze, solve the pathologies and prepare the pieces for their diffusion and final implantation in the city.
At the exit of this workshop, the original sections begin to vary in morphology. The design of the project will be the structural material doing its work. Implanting the new structure that transforms the piece into an optimal, rigid and habitable element. Obtaining as a result, structural framing, where we are able to recognize the original pieces, and at the same time, the added structure, necessary to house its new structural function.
Knowing the system, we start the last part of the project, how to use the pieces of the bridge and the type of implementations that can result.
The Lisbon City Council publishes every year a bulletin where it locates the sites in need of intervention, what better than to link the gift of these pieces to these spaces?
The project describes three interventions in the city of Lisbon, but the most beautiful thing is that there could be 3 or there could be 30, they could be large artifacts or host more domestic scales, being completely different narratives but certainly implicit in the project.
How stakeholders are engaged
The project leads a local proposal but with a National essence, an example that can be reflected in the reconversion of new infrastructures that end their useful life but that is not the case with that of their materials. An example of a project that can also be exported throughout the European Union, since the same problem exists in countless locations. Therefore, this project can also be seen as an example of this type of solutions that can be carried out thanks to material responsibility with large elements of outdated infrastructure that can become part of the fabric of the city.
In this case, it was the Lisbon city council itself that provided us with the plots of land in need of intervention throughout the city, so that we could select several of these and establish our project there.
In this case, it was the Lisbon city council itself that provided us with the plots of land in need of intervention throughout the city, so that we could select several of these and establish our project there.
Global challenges
Since this intervention in Lisbon, the Ponte Pardon project could be an example on a global scale. First starting from a clear and forceful example of material responsibility, in this case specifically with steel, a material that does not lose its qualities. Currently, architecture wastes 5,000 tons of steel per day that are thrown into the Garbage, contaminating the entire process. This is the problem that is coherently addressed in the project.
Learning transferred to other parties
The project draws on historical systems of interpretation of fragments, making us remember the looting in Venice, when we arrive at San Marco and we understand that it is at the same time a fragment of Byzantium, the project also speaks of this, of the ways of interpreting in the city.
One of its greatest virtues is undoubtedly the ability of the proposal to house and generate new mythologies, generate new lives, just as an organ donor is capable of people improving their quality of life, this project contains that essence and urban quality. It awakens a need to want to see and discover more proposals; The project describes three interventions in the city of Lisbon, but the most beautiful thing is that there could be 3 or there could be 30, they could be large artifacts or host more domestic scales, being completely different narratives but which are certainly implicit in the project.
One of its greatest virtues is undoubtedly the ability of the proposal to house and generate new mythologies, generate new lives, just as an organ donor is capable of people improving their quality of life, this project contains that essence and urban quality. It awakens a need to want to see and discover more proposals; The project describes three interventions in the city of Lisbon, but the most beautiful thing is that there could be 3 or there could be 30, they could be large artifacts or host more domestic scales, being completely different narratives but which are certainly implicit in the project.
Keywords
Infrastructure Reconversion
Material responsability
Memory architecture
City present
Urban transformation
