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Palace of Belém Aviaries

Refurbishment of the Aviaries in the Palace of Belém

The Aviaries in the Palace of Belém, dating from the 17th century, and which were in an advanced state of degradation, are being subject to refurbishment works which will avoid their becoming ruins and allow the use of the area.

The Aviaries comprise a “theatre” with three buildings which together form a “stage”, with fountains containing sculptures on the corners of each building, embedded in decorative niches, the main figure being that of Hercules slaying the Hydra, in the cascade of the central body. The interior of the arcades facing the “stage” contains a collection of drinking fountains for the several birds collected by Queen Mary I.

The ensemble was in a sorry state of repair, The roofs were degraded with multiple infiltrations, showing imminent collapse in two spots, where rain waters were already responsible for the deterioration of the stonework, of the interior plastering and for the loosening of the decorative tiles of the wainscoting. Much of the wood work was already irrecoverable, leaving the interior vulnerable to the bad weather. Some of the statues were already fallen and others imminently at risk, with black crust and biological settlement disseminated over all the stone work.

Developed by Pedro Vaz, an architect on the staff the Secretariat General of the Presidency of the Republic, the refurbishment project will be supported by specialized work carried out by technicians from the Institute of Management of the Architectural and Archaeological Heritage (IGESPAR) and is expected to recover and adapt the buildings for their use within the whole area, considering the consolidation of the roofs, the recovery of the interior degraded areas, the restoration of the stonework and rehabilitation of the wood work.

The project also includes the refurbishment of the hydraulic system, with drinking fountains, gargoyles and cascades working in closed circuit and the installation of photovoltaic solar cells to produce sufficient energy to feed pumps for water circulation, thus guaranteeing a fully autonomous system, with no water or power consumed.

The work was put out for public tender, and the contract awarded for 902, 260 € (including VAT), with 40% of the cost funded by Instituto de Turismo de Portugal, I.P.

This refurbishment of the Aviaries – the first carried out during the Republic – will have the technical backing of the Secretariat General of the Presidency of the Republic and will be supervised by IGESPAR. It is expected to be completed by September 2009.