Page 178 - Beyond Decommissioning

Experience and lessons learned 159

6.2.1.10 Electricity Museum and other redevelopments at Lisbon,
Portugal
A building classified as a Public Interest Project, the Electricity Museum lies along the
perimeter of the old thermoelectric plant—the Tagus Power Station, which provided
electricity to Lisbon for most of the 20th century. The station was constructed in dif-
ferent phases and styles ranging from art nouveau (low pressure section) to classicism
(high pressure section). Over time, adjacent lands and buildings became part of the
great industrial complex. The station generated energy until 1975 when it was
decommissioned.
Its opening as a Museum took place in 1990. Due to its state of conservation, the
Museum underwent renovation work between 2001 and 2005 to consolidate its struc-
ture, renew its facades and interior machinery and, with a new museum project, trans-
form it into what it is today.
The museum reopened in 2006 fully renovated and with new objectives. Today,
thanks to its multicultural objectives, visitors can enjoy either the Museum’s per-
manent collection, where the operations ofthe oldpower stationare shownintheir
original environment, or temporary programs, or educational and entertaining
activities (e.g., solar power demonstrations, concerts, conferences). Details of
the conversion process and the current room-by-room state of the plant are given
in Electricity Museum (2019). It should be noted that due to the location and cul-
tural meaning of the plant, several bodies cooperated with the owner (Energias de
Portugal) in the conversion process, including the Municipality of Lisbon, the
Administration of Lisbon Port and the Portuguese Institute for Archaeological
patrimony.
An Art Space next to the existing museum was opened in 2016 to host a wide
range of exhibitions. It is called MAAT—Museum of Art, Architecture, and
Technology.
The former electrical equipment factory of the Standard El ectrica Company was
built 1945–48. At present, it belongs to the municipality of Lisbon, and is listed as a
public interest building; it hosts the music school and headquarters of Metropolitana
(the subway company), the Luiz Villas-Boas Jazz School and a restaurant. The
building initially had a reinforced concrete structure and scarce compartmentalization,
which was the main challenge to create new uses. Actually, the major works focused
on compartmentalization through lightweight partitions. Two auditoriums, rooms, and
offices were established. Special care was given to the coverings of floors, walls, and
ceilings to ensure good acoustics.
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Former Companhia de Fiaca ˜o e Tecidos Lisbonense (Lisbon Company of Wirings
and Fabrics) Factory was built in 1846–1849. In 2007, when the industrial use of the
building was abandoned, the owners rented it to LX Factory—Property and Real
Estate Administration and Development, which was intended to get a profit from
the site.
Currently, the facilities are used as a multipurpose rental space for various tem-
porary activities. The central construction consisted of a five-story volume and a
single-story one. Both had wide spaces before the conversion. Their structure is