Museum of the Presidency of the Republic
Belém Palace, Praça Afonso de Albuquerque, Lisbon
1,200 m2
CONTEST 1997: 1st PRIZE of the Invitation Contest for the Adaptation of Buildings for Installation of the Museum of the Presidency of the Republic
CONTEST 2002: 1st PLACE in the Limited Contest for the Implementation and Development of the Museological Program
BUILT: 2004
CELEBRATION OF THE MUSEUM'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY: 2014
ARCHITECTS: Rui Barreiros Duarte and Ana Paula Pinheiro
Museum of the Presidency of the Republic, designed by Rui Barreiros Duarte and Ana Paula Pinheiro, is the result of two competitions by invitation held in 1997 (architectural rehabilitation), in 2002 (completion of the museological program) and a new rehabilitation carried out in 2014 (commemoration of its 10th anniversary).
The initial project focused on two spaces available for the Museum, with the objective of recovering the old warehouse and carpentry that were part of a building set to support the Belém Palace. It was a way of culturally integrating part of a built set that was devitalized. From these spaces, the spatial potential was used, making it compatible with a scale adequate to its new function, and therefore a deep remodeling was carried out.
The Museum was conceived as an inclusive space in terms of mobility, with access via a ramp and a lift platform between floors.
In 2014, to commemorate its 10th anniversary, the Museum was rehabilitated.
The architectural intervention resulted from the following specific conditions: replacement of portraits of the Presidents of the Republic and creation of new systems of interaction with the public; replacement of the projection system and front windows to the respective portraits by touchscreens for additional information. The support of these equipments was designed by reusing the metallic structures of the projection systems of the portraits of Presidents, a solution also applied in the exhibition replacement of magic books.
The design of the set favored its economic and material sustainability in accordance with the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle and renew.
