Quinta de S. Miguel (II)
On the occasion of Ar.Co’s 25th anniversary in 1998, Ar.Co’s board devides to promote an architectural remodelling of the Quinta de S. Miguel in order to meet the new pedagogical needs. IGAPHE, The Almada City Council, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Millennium-bcp Foundation and IAC- Instituto de Arte Contemporânea, among other entities, sponsor the works. The project, by Philip Cabau and Alexandre Marques Pereira, starts with its first two phases: reorganizing the administrative areas, create new installations for the Photography department, add to the areas of the old Stone Workshop to create Painting and Drawing studios and remodel the Quinta’s West entrance. A third phase of the project, coordinated by Philip Cabau and Miguel Moura, will take place in the context of the 35th anniversary of the school, financed by the Almada City Council, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Millennium-bcp oundation; REN-National Energetic Networks and BES-Banco Espírito Santo. The old Printing Workshop (and Drawing classroom) facilities are adapted to house Ar.Co’s new Library/Documentation Centre and the old gound floor “salt rooms” are transformed into ateliers and a typography room. The plan is concluded with the building of new studios for the Advanced Course in Visual Arts. As the 10 year period of the Quinta’s renting protocol comes to an end, Ar.Co signs, in October of 1996, a contract with IGAPHE for the acquisition of the Quinta. The property will change hands in 2010. In 2018, with support from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, investments are made in the areas of Photography, Ceramics and Printing with a view to a reorganising their workspaces. In Almada, the 1st floor of the North/South building framing the central courtyard, previously assigned to the Advanced Course and Individual Projects in Photography, becomes an extension of the rapidly growing Ceramics department (the Xabregas site will now incorporate all of Ar.Co’s Photography programs). At the same time, the 1st floor of the main services building becomes the new Printing Studio. An extensive restoration of the much-degraded group of original buildings follows in 2019, with support from CIN and Mapei.
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View of the Quinta de S. Miguel (West entrance), 2009.
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View of the Quinta de S. Miguel (central yard), 2009.
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View of inferior North gate and old "iron" shed before construction of the new studios.
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New studios next to the inferior North gate.
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Room/corridor of lower level after remodelling for studio spaces.
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Typography room on the lower level after remodelling.
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Old facade of Printing/Drawing vefore remodelled for Library.
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Facade of the new Library.
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Rooms 1 and 2 of Printing before remodelling to become Library spaces.
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Rooms 1 and 2 of Library after remodelling.
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Restauration of the Quinta's original buildings, 2019, with cupport from CIN and Mapei.
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Restauration of the Quinta's original buildings, 2019, with cupport from CIN and Mapei.
