Browse Exhibits (3 total)
Building Contractors in Portugal at the Turn of the Millennium
An exibit on building contractors established in Portugal and active at the turn of the millennium.
To study building cultures in Portugal during the 20th century, an overview of the most important builder contractors becomes essential. Executing both private and public works, some of those firms can find their origin back to the 1900s. For that reason, to get back to their history means to revisit the 20th century from the Construction History's point of view.
This first PT Builds 19_20 exhibition aims to present each firm, from different prespectives that are usefull to the study of Construction History:
-a short historical company profile;
-a brief biography of the founder(s);
-a list of selected works done by the firm;
-detailed information on a selected number of works;
- related information concerning other individual and collective actors, materials, machines, written studies and legislation.
To explore the history of each company, go to the exhibit.
Born in the 20th Century: Portuguese Construction Companies and their Works
This exhibit aims to guide the visitor/reseacher through almost 1200 constructions executed by 15 leading Portuguese contractor companies in Portugal and all over the world.
Completing the results obtained by the virtual exhibition "Building Contractors in Portugal at the Turn of the Millennium" it is now possible to find the location of each construction work classified in 26 different typologies of infrastructures including associated services and facilities.
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the Portuguese contractor companies selected for this exhibit were responsible for the execution of many and emblematic public and private works not only in Portugal but also in the former Portuguese colonies and in different other countries.
Many conclusions useful to the study of Construction History in Portugal can be taken by exploring this exhibit: the specific number of infrastructure’s typologies that characterise the development of each company, the more or less concentration of works done by each firm in Portugal or/and in a specific former Portuguese colony, the level of internationalisation of a firm outside the territories of (once) Portuguese influence, etc.
To study Construction History in Portugal in the 20th century, one must be able to get a general overview of the activity of the most influent Portuguese contractors and their evolution in time and space.
To explore the different maps made for each company, go to the exhibit.
Infrastructuring the Nation. Railways (1850-1900)
The construction of a railway network able to cover all the Portuguese territory in Europe deeply changed the country's culture of building. The new railway lines construction consisted not only of the railway track laying but also of the opening of new tunnels, bridges, viaducts, railway stations, water reservoirs, coal depots, roads, etc. New building materials such as cast iron, puddled iron, steel, Portland cement concrete were used for the first time on a large scale. A great deal of those materials was imported, in particular, Portland cement, laminated steel, and full metallic bridges, from Great Britain, Belgium, France, and Germany.
New techniques were also used for the first time in Portugal like the compressed air excavations, foundations with sunken caissons, metallic cast pillars, etc. Foreign engineers and specialized workers like divers or rivet heaters worked together with Portuguese supervisors, masons, and all kinds of traditional building trades.
From 1850 until the end of the nineteenth century, the Portuguese territory would become covered with this new infrastructure network: During the first period, “Sul-Sudeste” (Barreiro- Vendas Novas, 1861), “Leste” (Lisbon-Badajoz, 1864), and “Norte” (Lisboa-Vila Nova de Gaia, 1877) lines were built. A second and larger-scale phase followed.
This exhibition aims to guide the visitor through a selected number of railway lines and their different construction phases.
