Beira, a modernist landscape in tropical Africa

• Type: Article in International Conference Proceedings Book
• Date: 2014

Authors

Fernandes, Mário (Author) FLUP; Mendes, Rui (Author) FLUP; Mealha, Rui (Author) FLUP

Conference proceedings International

Title: 21st International Seminary of Urban Form

21st International Seminary of Urban Form

Scientific classification

FOS: Humanities

Other information

Abstract (EN): The city of Beira – founded in 1887, in a river flood area – survived against all natural odds in an unsuitable place, became from (19)40’s onward a unique and complex study case about the modernist ideas in tropical countries, namely in African continent. Today’s city is an open museum of modernist architecture and urbanism, forged by young and experimentalist architects and civil engineers that, from Portugal (and in some cases from South Africa), searched the Portuguese colony of Mozambique to build a career. The city of Beira became a prosperous city due to high income provided by its harbour and railroad interface that served Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and was the base of cities health, allied to a large political and civic autonomy from central powers of Lisbon and Lourenço Marques (Maputo) that, both, gave to the city the ability to attract young, ambitious ant talented architects and civil engineers that built a paradoxal city, full of emblematic modernist buildings – both private and public -, complex and unorthodox engineering solutions that filled an urbanistic plan unique in Portuguese colonial Africa. City authorities and even public opinion were eager of architectural landmarks and proud of what they considered “a beautiful city”. Today, that confluence of willingness, talent, ambition an aesthetic sense produced a city that is recovering from the eclipse produced by years of civil war and where we can find in its landscape emblematic buildings as the Central Station, the Grand Hotel of Beira, the airport, the swimming pool complex, among many other buildings

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

Notes: Book of abstracts (p.174). Disponível: http://isuf2014.fe.up.pt/ISUF2014_%20Book%20of%20Abstracts.pdf