The Bird’s Nurseries of the Belem Palace

Pedro Vaz, and Bárbara Massapina

1. Secretaria-Geral da Presidência da República, Portugal

2. Faculdade de Arquitectura Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract: The Bird’s Nurseries of the Belem Palace are an 18th century building placed within the gardens of the Presidential Palace of Portugal, in Lisbon, ordered by the Queen Maria I to accommodate birds brought to Lisbon from the Portuguese Empire. The building was founded in a poor state of conservation. The project incorporated the consolidation of roofs, changing trusses and tiles, interior recovery of degraded areas, repair of masonry and exterior plaster, panelling tiles restoration and carpentry rehabilitation, stone and statuary soft cleaning and sculpture modelling of missing parts. It included a redefinition of the existent hydraulic system, turning the bird’s drinking fountains, gargoyles and a waterfall cascade into a closed loop, with pumps energetically supplied by PV panels, hidden over the existent water tank. The sewage gutters were found and cleaned, the water tank was reduced in its capacity from 80 m³ to 20 m³, due to structural concerns. The Bird’s Nurseries building, once just an old fine piece, is now part of the Museum of the Presidency, and at the same time, created a space for receptions of the Head of State.

Key words: Belem Palace, conservation criteria, rehabilitation, sustainability