Real Vinícola (Portugal): history, aims and the cultural use

Abstract

The Real Vinícola is an industrial complex built between 1897 and 1901 in Matosinhos (Portugal) to accommodate the Real Companhia Vinícola, a company specialized in wine shipping. The company closed in the 1930s-which resulted in the complex being abandoned for eighty years-followed by the decay of the surrounding area known for its industrial use. In the subsequent years, different urbanization plans were suggested to revitalize the area, including one in 1999 by the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza. The architect's proposal was to transform the area from an industrial space to a residential one, and considered the preservation of the Real Vinícola complex. In 2000, the City Council of Matosinhos purchased the Real Vinícola complex and integrated it as part of the new urbanization plan,1 and in 2013, the Real Vinícola was classified as a "Monument of Public Interest" by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage.2 Subsequently, in 2015 the rehabilitation process of the Real Vinícola was initiated in order to assign a cultural purpose to this industrial heritage. Finally, since 2017 the Real Vinícola has been the headquarters of Casa da Arquitectura - the Portuguese Centre for Architecture, a non-profit institution with the mission of safeguarding collections of architecture and engaging the community through the conservation of the Real Vinícola itself