Coimbra, 20-21 October 2025
The 1st Docomomo Portugal Congress, entitled “Teaching, Reuse and Transformation of Modern Architecture and the City” organized by Docomomo Portugal and the Department of Architecture of the University of Coimbra, was a success.
Taking place in Coimbra at the Gil Vicente Academic Theater and the José Falcão High School, in Coimbra, on October 20-21, 2025, it was preceded on October 19 by guided visits to several examples of modern architecture in Coimbra and a film screenings:
— José Falcão Secondary School (Carlos Ramos, 1930–1942). Guided tour by Gonçalo Canto Moniz and Pedro Brígida
— Maternal Institute (Carlos Ramos, Carlos Manuel Ramos and Jorge Viana, 1948–1963). Guided tour by Paulo Providência
— Academic Association of Coimbra (Alberto José Pessoa and João Abel Manta, 1954–1959). Guided tour by Alfredo Dias
The day ended at the Casa das Caldeiras — the headquarters of the Central Regional Section of the Order of Architects — with a screening of the film Lewerentz – Divine Darkness (2024) and a talk with the director Sven Blume, moderated by José Fernando Gonçalves.
On October 20, the opening ceremony of the Congress took place at the Gil Vicente Academic Theater, with the participation of Ana Tostões (Docomomo Portugal), Luís Miguel Correia (DARQ-UC), Avelino Oliveira (Order of Architects), and Uta Pottgiesser (Docomomo International).
At the end of the ceremony, Ana Tostões and Uta Pottgiesser presented also some of the publications by Docomomo Portugal and Docomomo International, namely:
— The Docomomo Journal
— Uta Pottgiesser & Ana Tostões (ed.), Modernism in Africa. The Architecture of Angola, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Basel, Birkhäuser / Docomomo International, 2024.
— Ana Tostões & Zara Ferreira (ed.), Modernist Women Interior Designers and Artists, Lisboa, Docomomo Portugal, 2024.
— Ana Tostões (ed.), Modern Heritage. Reuse, Renovation, Restoration, Basel, Birkhäuser, 2022.
— Jan Haenraets, Andrew Saniga e Gülnur Cengiz (eds.), Landscape Architecture and Infrastructure of the Twentieth Century, Delft, Docomomo International, 2024.
—Andrea Canziani e Wido Quist (eds.), Concreto: Code Book, Delft, Docomomo International, 2025.
— Horacio Torrent e Louise Noelle Gras, The Modern Movement in Architecture – Selections from the Docomomo Registers, Delft, Docomomo International, 2025.
—Angel Ayón & Uta Pottgiesser (ed.), Reglazing Modernism — Intervention Strategies for 20th-Century Icons, Basel, Birkhäuser, 2019.
During the mornings of October 20 and 21 keynote lectures were held at Gil Vicente Academic Theater.
On the first day, the two were complementary reflections on continuity, memory, and transformation in modern architecture:
— Franz Graf (Docomomo Switzerland), introduced by Zara Ferreira, delivered the lecture “Le Lignon. A silent restoration,” dedicated to the rehabilitation project of the Cité du Lignon (Georges Addor, 1964–1966) in Geneva — a large-scale intervention carried out between 2010 and 2018, which sought to reconcile technical and environmental upgrades with the preservation of the architectural and social value of this icon of modern housing;
— Alexandre Alves Costa (Atelier 15), introduced by Jorge Figueira, gave the lecture “Transformation and Modernity,” focused on the rehabilitation process of the Batalha Cinema (Artur Andrade, 1944–1947) in Porto — a project developed by him and Sérgio Fernandez (Atelier 15) between 2019 and 2021.
On the second they, the two contributions aimed to reaffirmed the dialogue between research and practice in the preservation and transformation of modern architecture in Portugal:
— Gonçalo Byrne, introduced by Nuno Grande, delivered the lecture “Rehabilitation of the Coimbra Academic Association Complex,” dedicated to the rehabilitation project of the AAC (Associação Académica de Coimbra) facilities — a work that combines the preservation of the original modern building (Alberto José Pessoa and João Abel Manta, 1954–1959) with programmatic and construction updates, reinforcing the role of the ensemble as a living infrastructure of the university city;
— João Mendes Ribeiro and Gonçalo Canto Moniz, introduced by Luís Miguel Correia, delivered the lecture “Return to Coimbra’s Modern Secondary School: participation, teaching, and design,” focused on the rehabilitation process of the José Falcão Secondary School (Carlos Ramos, 1930–1942) — a pedagogical design exercise developed within a collaboration between the Coimbra City Council and the University of Coimbra. This is a pilot research project that gathers contributions from the fields of architecture, social sciences and education, geography, and engineering, coordinated by the two professors from the Department of Architecture at the University of Coimbra (DARQ).
The afternoons took place at the José Falcão High School, being dedicated to the presentation of 58 papers in 12 parallel sessions.
Further, on October 21, a book presentation session took place:
— Teresa Cunha Ferreira and David Ordóñez Castañón (eds.), Novo / Antigo – Escola do Porto. New / Old – School of Porto, Porto, Edições Afrontamento, 2025. Presented by Teresa Ferreira
— Michel Toussaint (coord.), Architecture Guide. Modern Movement in Portugal, Lisbon, A+A, 2025. Presented by Michel Toussaint
— Nuno Grande, Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Between Maturity and Foretelling, Coimbra, e|d|arq, 2020. Presented by Nuno Grande
The closing ceremony took place at the José Falcão High School counting with some words by the Schools Director, Prof. Isabel Achando Amoroso Lopes, as well as Ana Tostões (Docomomo Portugal), Luís Miguel Correia (DARQ-UC), and Gonçalo Canto Moniz (DARQ-UC).
To close the event, was screened at Gil Vicente Academic Theater the film Eclipse (1962), directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, a selection made by José António Bandeirinha (DARQ-UC).
The main goal of the congress was to provide a platform for in-depth discussions, dissemination, and the exchange of ongoing research on the Portuguese modern heritage, with a focus on its transformation and rehabilitation.
The Congress also included a stand featuring several publications from the publisher Birkhäuser Verlag — an important reference in the world of modern architecture and modern heritage, known for internationally renowned editions that combine rigorous research, refined visual quality, and contributions from key authors in the study of modernity in architecture.
Docomomo Portugal thanks to DARQ – Departamento de Arquitetura da Universidade de Coimbra, for the great co-organization work, as well as to Teatro Académico de Gil Vicente e and Escola Secundária José Falcão, for hosting our event. And a great thank you to the scientific committee, keynote speakers, authors and all participants.
Docomomo Portugal is pleased to share that photos of the event can now be found in the gallery.
A conference publication is being prepared.
More information on the conference can be found at https://docomomopt.wixsite.com/congresso01
