The early 20th century saw the appearance of the first specialised magazines in the areas of architecture and construction in Portugal. Their aim was not only to transmit aesthetic, technical and scientific knowledge but also to contribute to defining the responsibilities and attributes of the diverse professional groups involved in construction.
A Construcção Moderna and Architectura Portuguesa were the most important publications1 in the context of transformation that was to lead to the establishment of the 1st Republic. An analysis of their textual and pictorial contents allows for the conclusion that they were vehicles for some of the doctrinarian principles of republican values personified by the protagonists of the generation of 1890. These two publications were indeed to assert themselves as active instruments in the dissemination of knowledge in the service of the material and technical progress of the country. By divulging new programmes and typologies, highlighting, in particular, school buildings2, advancing the debate on the national architectural heritage3 and the need for the conservation thereof4, discussing the possible paths for Portuguese architecture5 and publishing opinion pieces on urban hygiene and salubrity6, they anticipated concerns that, in one way or another, were to become touchstones of the political programme of the 1st Republic.
A Construcção Moderna : Revista Quinzenal Ilustrada Sob a Direcção de um grupo de Constructores : Collaborada por Distinctos Technicos da Especialidade [Construcção Moderna : A Fortnightly Illustrated Magazine Edited by a Group of Construction Professionals : with the Collaboration of Distinguished Specialised Technicians] was the first regular Portuguese publication dedicated to architecture and building, seeking to appeal to both architects and other stakeholders in the world of construction:
the architect, the engineer, the artist, the builder will find in the editorial outlook we have defined, a vast and useful field applicable to their areas of activity and study, and for that reason, by not limiting our publication to the absolutely material interests of those who seek to earn direct and immediate gain from it, we aim, while not neglecting the former, to create a patriotic inventory of our technical and artistic advances.7
The editorial project, which ran from 1 February 1900 to 25 July 19188, unequivocally reflected an alignment with the assumptions and programmatic lines of other European specialised magazines.9
The first phase in the life of the magazine, corresponding to the first three years of publication, showed a certain lack of definition in terms of a distinct programme and the composition of the management. However, analysis of the editorials allows for the conclusion that there were two fundamental underlying objectives: transmitting specialised knowledge (building methods, materials, etc.)10 and divulging the facilities considered indispensable for a modern lifestyle.
The publication’s dynamism can be attributed to the profile of the technical management consisting of the civil engineer José Maria de Mello de Mattos (1856-1915) and the architect Rosendo Carvalheira (1863-1919). The former was to become a central figure, both for his coordination of the magazine, particularly during the first ten years11, and for his close cooperation in publishing content (articles, reviews and chronicles on the national and international realities). His editorial project was aimed at dissemination of scientific developments and the transmission of technical knowledge, which were regarded as the pillars of a programme that sought to respond in an effective manner to the material and aesthetic needs of a society undergoing change. Although one could argue that Mello de Mattos clearly favoured the engineering cause12, he nevertheless promoted multidisciplinary debate of the main issues facing modern architecture and urban planning, encouraging architects, engineers and works supervisors, amongst others, to become involved through the application of the building processes and methods made necessary by the transformations imposed by industrial civilisation.
This alliance gave the magazine a diversity of approaches which, because they were complementary, would contribute to the recognition of construction professionals in general, and architects in particular13, and to the dissemination of new public facilities: commercial architecture (department stores, cafés), financial architecture (bank buildings), hospital and welfare architecture (hospitals, sanatoriums, asylums), school buildings (primary, grammar and industrial schools), recreational architecture (theatres, casinos) and industrial architecture (factories) became part of the typological catalogue published by A Construcção Moderna. However the most representative category was residential architecture, which accounted for roughly two-thirds of the total of design projects published14. The predominance of residential buildings (single-family houses, chalets, palaces and apartment buildings) was part of the process of the expansion of the urban centres, and the capital city in particular15, and of the settlement of the coastal areas16.
One should also highlight the magazine’s commitment to the recognition of architecture as a profession, publishing in its pages the documents of incorporation of the Society of Portuguese Architects17. In this context one should also point out the prominence given to academic competitions18 as a means of validating and dignifying the teaching of architecture and the contents of the new design methodologies. The technical and artistic capacity of young architects was strengthened by exposure to qualified scholastic exercises directly linked to the emerging programmes and typologies — railway stations, museums, casinos, circuses, pantheons, theatres, schools and apartment buildings — explicitly celebrating the new architectural values. The same desire to expand discussion and debate was manifest in the dissemination of public competitions19, with the Valmor Prize taking on particular importance20. The publication of competition rules21, the composition of juries22 and the results23 allowed A Construcção Moderna to simultaneously assert itself as an instrument of criticism and a link between professionals and the public opinion.
January 190824 saw the first issue of A Architectura Portuguesa: Revista mensal de Arte Architectural Antiga e Moderna: Collaborada por architectos e escriptores d’arte portuguezes [Architectura Portuguesa: A monthly Magazine on the Art of Ancient and Modern Architecture: with the Collaboration of Portuguese architects and art writers]25, which adopted a different editorial orientation26. Contrary to Construcção Moderna, which, as we have seen, pursued an inclusive and multidisciplinary publication programme, A Architectura Portuguesa assumed its role as a magazine dedicated to architecture, claiming a different status and, inherently, targeting a difference audience. Its editorial policy favoured parameters of graphic (format and coated paper) and critical quality that were expli-
cit in articles penned by established authors: Abel Botelho (1855-1917), Gabriel Pereira (1847-1911), Ramalho Ortigão (1839-1915) and Rosendo Carvalheira, to name but a few, were amongst the many contributors whose output featured on the magazine’s pages. The choice of design projects it published27 also followed criteria marked by the profile of the architects — José Luis Monteiro (1848-1942), Miguel Ventura Terra (1866-1919), Álvaro Machado (1874-1944) and Norte Júnior (1878-1962), amongst others — and also by the scenographic value of the buildings, focusing in particular on residential works built in Lisboa and Estoril28, establishing the photograph as the representation vehicle of choice. One of the aims of the magazine was to contribute to improving the taste of the Portuguese. To that end it published works of reference as instruments of a propagandistic nature in the service of the new formal, functional and aesthetic imaginaries:
It is the responsibility of architecture to open up a new era in the artistic judgement and taste of contemporary society. […] we have in Portugal today, thinking and working actively, respectable architects of great capacity and talent. We also have in Lisbon and its environs luxury houses that are a precious lesson on how not to build that can be learnt by all.29
The regime change was not noticeable in the pages of these two publications. Analysis of the editorials and the content of the articles of the period do not reveal significant changes. There was also little change in the criteria applied to choosing the designers or projects published. This opacity no doubt has to do with the fact that those involved in the magazines (publisher, editors, editorial teams and contributors) had already set out on a crusade for the modernisation of the country, creating the concrete conditions for the affirmation and acknowledgement of professionals in the building sector (architects, engineers, works supervisors and others).
These publications effectively paved the way for creating awareness amongst the general public as to the importance of architecture an instrument of consecration of a new order that cherished republican values.
[1] The Annuario da Sociedade dos Architectos Portugueses: Associação de Classe published between 1905 and 1911 was the corporate publication par excellence.
[2] A Construcção Moderna published 15 design projects for school buildings (primary, grammar and vocational schools) in the whole period of publication. Between 1 February 1900 and 5 October 1910 a total of seven school building projects were presented (two primary schools, two grammar schools, two private schools and one building for a free fine arts course). Between 1911 and 1919 the magazine published a further eight projecgts (seven primary schools and one vocational school).
[3] The Sociedade de Propaganda de Portugal, founded on 28 February 1906, found in the pages of A Construcção Moderna its vehicle of preference.
[4] The articles by Rosendo Carvalheira on the field of restoration presented these issues in an exemplary way. For further information see: Memória sobre a Sé Catedral da Guarda e sua possível restauração. A Construcção Moderna. Ano I, nº1 (1 Fev. 1900), p. 7; nº2 (16 Fev. 1900), p. 5; nº3 (1 Mar. 1900), p. 4-5; nº4 (16 Mar. 1900), p. 5-6; e A evolução da arte e a tradição dos povos. A Construcção Moderna. Ano I, nº4 (16 Mar. 1900), p. 5-8; nº8 (16 Maio 1900), p. 5-6; nº9 (1 Jun. 1900), p. 4-5; nº10 (16 Jun. 1900), p.4; nº11 (1 Jul. 1900), p. 5-6; nº12 (6 Jul. 1900) p. 4-5.
[5] Here one should reference the many contributions by writers on the question of the Casa Portuguesa [Portuguese House], particularly those by Rocha Peixoto, Abel Botelho and J. Mello de Mattos.
[6] The pressing need to improve hygiene and sanitary conditions in the cities is a recurrent theme in the pages of A Construcção Moderna in the form of opinion articles, reviews, technical texts and regulatory documents. This concern, manifested from the publication’s beginnings, was only abated from 1911 onwards. See Marieta Dá Mesquita; Inês Serrano. A leitura da cidade pelos seus contemporâneos. Arte e Teoria. Nº 10 (2007), p. 67-81.
[7] A Construcção Moderna, Ano I, nº 25 (1 Fev. 1901 ), p. 3-4.
[8] Although, as a rule, it was published regularly, the magazine did experience short periods of suspension. From issues no. 337 (5 Jan. 1911 ) to 414 (25 Apr. 1914) it was known as A Construcção Moderna e As Artes do Metal due to the fact the publisher and owner of A Construcção Moderna also owned a magazine entitled As Artes do Metal and merged the two titles.
[9] The magazine’s geneaology includes international reference publications such as: The Builder (1843-1966), Le Bâtiment (1864-1945), Le Génie Civil (1880-1973), La Construction Moderne (1885-1889), and others.
[10] The importance of the new building materials and processes took on a qualitative and quantitative role in the context of the test published, which were almost all written by engineers.
[11] When, in 1911, A Construcção Moderna and As Artes do Metal were merged at the decision of Nunes Collares (1850-1928), the publisher and owner of the two magazines, Mello de Mattos continued in his formal role of technical editor but distanced himself from the editorial outlook.
[12] See: Marieta Dá Mesquita. As casas de muitos andares nos Estados Unidos ou a Escola de Chicago vista por um engenheiro português em 1900. Jornal Arquitectos. Nº 205 (Mar./Abr. 2002), p. 11-18.
[13] First and foremost one should emphasis the predominance of architects amongst the most represented designers of projects. Although it was not a magazine with orthodox and unidirectional criteria it did explicitly validate designers with academic, and foreign, training.
[14] See Marieta Dá Mesquita. Uma leitura do património através de uma revista de arquitectura do primeiro quartel do século XX. Disegnarecon. Vol. 1, nº 2 (Dic. 2008). E Roberto Mingucci; Mario Centofanti (a cura). Disegnarecon: Conservazione del Patrimonio Architettonico e Urbano. [Online]. (Dic. 2008) [Consult. 2 Fev. 2011]. Available in http://disegnarecon.cib.unibo.it/article/view/1381/831.
[15] While the magazine had a broad spectrum, featuring design projects from various parts of the country, it clearly focused on the city of Lisbon (45 percent) and its environs (19 percent).
[16] For more on this topic, see Patricia Duarte. Casas de Verão entre Belém e Cascais: uma leitura sobre a arquitectura do lazer através da Construcção Moderna Moderna. Lisboa : FA/UTL, 2008. Master’s Dissertation, Studies of the Space and Dwelling in Architecture. Multicopied document.
[17] See the articles, Associação de Classe dos Architectos Portugueses. A Construcção Moderna. Ano 2, nº 45 (1 Fev. 1901), p. 8; Sociedade dos Architectos: Associação de Classe. A Construcção Moderna. Ano 2, nº 46 (16 Dez. 1901), p. 5-6; Sociedade dos Architectos Portugueses. A Construcção Moderna. Ano 4, nº 88 (1 Mar. 1903), p. 8-9; A Construcção Moderna. Ano 3, nº 106 (1 Set. 1903), p.172-174; Regulamento dos honorários dos architectos. A Construcção Moderna. Ano 6, nº 160 (20 Mar. 1905), p. 32.
[18] By way of example, see, Projecto de um museu de escultura. A Construcção Moderna. Ano 2, nº 39 (1 Set. 1901). First Prize, National Fine Arts Competition.
[19] “The 15th of this month is the deadline for the competition for the Church/Monument of the Immaculate Conception. As far as we know, this competition is the largest ever held in the country, not only in terms of the number of participants but also for the importance of the works submitted. So far the competitors are as follows, in alphabetical order: Adaes Bermudes, Adolpho Marques da Silva, Alfredo Maria Costa Campos, Álvaro Machado, António Peres Dias Guimarães, Carlos Parente, Frederico Evaristo Gomes, Hermogenes Julio dos Reis, Joaquim Norte, José C. Ferreira da Costa, Pedro Machado, Raul Lino, Tertuliano Lacerda Marques.” A Construcção Moderna. Ano 5, nº 148 (1 Nov. 1904), p. 219.
[20] By way of example, see Casa que obteve o premio Valmor em 1903. A Construcção Moderna. Ano 5, nº 135 (20 Jun. 1904); Casa de artista. A Construcção Moderna. Ano 6, nº 157 (10 Fev. 1905).
[21] See, by way of example, Concurso entre Arquitectos Nacionaes: Programa. A Construcção Moderna. Ano 5, nº 137 (10/07/1906), p. 131-132.
[22] “Competition for the Design of the Church/Monument of the Immaculate Conception — […] the jury, which will meet shortly, is, according to our information, made up of Messrs. José Alexandre Soares, Ventura Terra, José Luís Monteiro and Rosendo Carvalheira.” A Construcção Moderna. Ano 5, nº 149 (10 Nov. 1904), p. 229
[23] On the results of the public competition for the monument to the Marquis of Pombal, A Construcção Moderna wrote: “As it is our duty, first and foremost because we should register in these columns everything relating to the art of architecture produced in our milieu, we publish today etchings of the models that won first and second prize (…). We would add that, since a jury has been appointed which as accepted the task…” A Construcção Mo-
derna, Ano XIV, no. 420, (25/06/1914) p. 2.
[24] The first series of the magazine ran from 1908 to 1928, although programmatic alterations are observable from 1915 onwards.
[25] Mário Collares and Antonio da Silva Junior were the editors between January and May 1908.
[26] Nunes Collares was the owner of both magazines and believed in different editorial policies for the two, targeting distinct audiences.
[27] A comparative analysis of the design projects published in the two magazines shows that there many overlappings. However, A Architectura Portuguesa excluded from its pages works it considered to be “everyday” architecture.
[28] By way of example one can reference: Palacete do sr. Alexandre Nunes Sequeira. Architectura Portuguesa. (Jan. 1918) and Casa de estilização românica modernizado by Edmundo Tavares. A Architectura Portuguesa. (Mar. 1919).
[29] Ramalho Ortigão. Prefácio. A Architectura Portuguesa. Ano 1, nº 1, Jan. de 1908, p. 2.