Page 179 - Beyond Decommissioning

160 Beyond Decommissioning

metallic, with circular columns. The initial conversion did not include structural
works: it consisted mainly in the creation of compartments by using lightweight
partitions. In accordance with a heritage prospect, the existing manufacturing
machinery was kept and exhibited in the corridors. The initial conversion was
followed by partial renovation projects, focused on the activities of resident
companies.
Napolitana Factory was constructed in 1909. It remained in operation until 1970,
when its buildings were converted into offices. Today the facilities host the Auchan
headquarters in Portugal.
Facilities include several buildings arranged around a courtyard, each one origi-
nally aimed at a specific use: grain grinding, silo, pasta production and machinery
house. The building conversion did not require structural rehabilitation. Waterproof-
ing works were effected on the roofs and the interiors were compartmentalized by
lightweight partitions. The silo was the building that suffered the biggest changes
in its adaptation to office use. Old silo’s outlets were coated, thus concealing these
key elements of heritage. No machinery was retained. However, the door decorations
with geometric motifs were conserved.
The Pedro Alvares Cabral Building was a former cold store, built in 1939 and aban-
doned in 1992. It was later converted to the Museu do Oriente (Museum of the East),
opened in 2008. The building was listed as public interest monument in 2010. The
original building consisted of three volumes with independent structures and vertical
accesses: the eastern volume was used for codfish storage and the west volume for
fruit and vegetables. There were some challenges to the conversion, for example,
the small number of windows and the high density of columns. The structural works
fitting the museum’s functions consisted of the redefinition of vertical accesses and
movements (people and services) and on distribution of functions in different floors.
The need for natural light prompted the insertion of a glass lift in an old light-shaft and
of a skylight at the auditorium’s and grand hall’s atrium: new glass surfaces were
installed on the facades.
The demolition of a column by a previous architectural project had necessitated
structural reinforcement with a horizontal tie-rod system. Structural works included
also column strapping and jacketing with metal sheets and the building of new con-
crete slabs. In regard to ventilation, the constraint imposed by the low ceilings was
obviated by the installation of a peripheral gallery, circulating air to exhibition areas.
The air-cooling equipment of the cold store was removed, thus leaving no industrial
machinery for heritage purposes.
The former Lumiar (Lamp) Factory was built during the 1930s. The abandoned
building was rehabilitated in 2001–04, with the goal of converting it into
housings. The main challenge to conversion was due to ceilings being higher than
5m. The solution found benefitted from the building features, and 77 lofts were
installed, with minimum compartmentalization and insertion of mezzanines.
The history and a critical analysis of these projects are given by Dabraio da
Silva (2013).