Castelo Branco Municipality

The presented solution requires an intervention area upgrade, suppressing the car parking surface and the increase and reorganization of the pedestrian spaces according to the programmatic parameters. The intervention includes the surface arrangement, the implementation of the urban furniture, the public lighting equipment and the green areas, mainly trees.

The motor traffic is merely sustained by the connection of the Bartolomeu da Costa street to the Arrabalde dos Açougues, transit near of the South and East buildings, and allowing access to some existing garages. This path also provides access to the new underground parking space.

The surface arrangement is essentially composed by granite pavement cubes, as shown in the graphics, and the grid reading is made with slabs of hammer granite. The motorway path will be of granite blocks, in the extending and following the existing road system.

The proposed urban furniture, which includes back supporting seats, water fountains and litter bins, combine with the pavement design, and is inserted in the square’s outskirts, along with north buildings and second tree line to South and East.

The adopted lighting solution presents 4 meters high columns for a proper lamp setting, inserted in the outskirts of the pedestrian space. In the central zone a decorative illumination composed by bright points embedded in the pavement was considered. The pillory will have its own lighting through appropriate equipment, embedded in the surrounding area pavement.

For the space´s global solution, a tower was contemplated, which relates to the lift’s column, with a clock on top, and is the only counterpoint element to the simplicity of the proposed solution.

This intervention designated in the Detailed Urban Plan as “Urban Project PU4 – Largo de São João, in the Castelo Branco’s Polis Program intervention area”, included a one floor underground parking space with 60 spaces, in the 2003 project. Later in 2007, when the City Hall decided to advance with the constructions, since the number of parking spaces was found to be insufficient, a retrial draft of the project was made to increase the parking capability to 110 places, spread over two floors below the square.

Owner:

Castelo Branco Municipality

Location:

Largo de S. João

Castelo Branco

Intervention Area:

3.300m²

Construction Area:

3.600m²

Project:

2002 / 2007

Conclusion:

Obra em curso

Program:

The underground Parking Space and the rearrangement of São João Square’s  arrangement projects. 110 parking places total.

Team:

Architecture

– Manuel Cottinelli Telmo Pardal Monteiro – Architect

– João Cottinelli Telmo Pardal Monteiro – Architect

– António Pedro Batista Pardal Monteiro – Architect

– Paulo Vasco Silva Antunes – Architect

– Susana Duarte Raposo – Architect

– António Henriques – Architect

– Sónia Machado Mendes – Architect

– Amadeu Lourenço

– Rodrigo Moutinho

Foundations and Structure

– Paulo Reis – Engineer

Mechanical Equipment and Facilities

– Galvão Teles – Engineer

Water and Sewage Equipment and Facilities

– Grade Ribeiro – Engineer

Electrical and Telecommunications Equipment and Facilities

– Luis Serrão – Engineer

Landscaoing

– Pedro Batalha – Landscape Architect

Safety e Fire Protection

– António Portugal – Architect

Roads

– Gonçalo Pardal Monteiro – Engineer