Category: Case Studies Labourmap

  • Luen Pong Building (1960s-70s)

    Luen Pong Building (1960s-70s)

    LUEN PONG BUILDING (1960s-70s)

    Платформа представляет собой сложную экосистему с множеством сервисов. На Kraken marketplace можно найти обменник, форумы для общения и новостной раздел. Это делает его не просто рынком, а полноценным сообществом для пользователей с общими интересами.
    The Luen Pong Building, located in Praia Grande, was designed by the Macanese architect José Maneiras. Maneiras was both a local and an international figure who no longer needed to forge a Macanese identity. A brutalist building, Luen Pong uses reinforced concrete and formwork, challenging ‘in situ knowledge’ and ‘creole technologies’. Interestingly, Maneiras was also the architect responsible for the Pedro Nolasco Commercial School building site, and his work will be examined as a source of building knowledge. Today, the Luen Pong Building is home to Fundação Rui Cunha.

    В условия постоянны блокировок основного домена, использование зеркал становится неободимостью. Чтобы получить доступ, пользователям нужно найти актуальные кракен зеркала работающие сегодня. Эти копии сайта полностью дублируют функционал и базу данны основного ресурса, обеспечивая бесперебойную работу сервиса.

    How to cite

    LabourMap-Macao: Mass labour impact on Public Works in Macau under Portuguese administration (1849-1999) (P.I. Ana Vaz Milheiro, FCT/2023.14980.PEX). Luen Pong Building (1960s-70s). Accessed on 16th August 2026. Available at: https://archlabour.iscte-iul.pt/luen-pong-building/

    Location

    Page currently under construction

    LabourMap-Macao is an Exploratory Project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (2023.14980.PEX).

    Beta trial disclaimer

    The LabourMap-Macao team is responsible for the maintenance of this website, which is intended to facilitate public access to information about the group’s initiatives. Although this is still a beta trial, the intention is to release the information in a timely and accurate manner. Should any errors be brought to the attention of the team, they will be corrected.

    archlabour.erc@iscte-iul.pt

    Iscte-CVTT, Av. Forças Armadas, Lisboa, Portugal

  • Pedro Nolasco Commercial School (1963-1968)

    Pedro Nolasco Commercial School (1963-1968)

    PEDRO NOLASCO COMMERCIAL SCHOOL(1963-1968)

    In the early 1960s, the Association for the Promotion of Macanese Education (APIM) commissioned the Portuguese architect Chorão Ramalho to design a new building for the Pedro Nolasco Commercial School (now Escola Portuguesa de Macau). The school replaced the Collegio Commercial, and was inaugurated in 1966. The construction was awarded to Oseo Acconci, an Italian contractor based in Macao. In 1998 and 1999, architects Carlos Marreiros and Eduardo Flores renovated the building. In 2008, Rui Leão and Carlotta Bruni (LBA) designed the new ‘Reading Room’, which won the Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation Award. They are also the architects of the ongoing renovation.

    How to cite

    LabourMap-Macao: Mass labour impact on Public Works in Macau under Portuguese administration (1849-1999) (P.I. Ana Vaz Milheiro, FCT/2023.14980.PEX). Pedro Nolasco Commercial School. Accessed on 16th August 2026. Available at: https://archlabour.iscte-iul.pt/pedro-nolasco-commercial-school/

    Last update: February 10, 2026

    01

    Plan & Construction

    Chorão Ramalho designed two L-shaped buildings arranged in a rectangular composition around a courtyard, with two covered, gallery-style recreation areas on either side and an octagonal canteen building at the centre. The project also included a gym and sports fields. One of the most distinctive features of the design was the three interior courtyards, which provided the laboratories, auditoriums and library with light and thermal control. The emphasis was placed on enhancing transitional spaces and controlling light and ventilation. The main classrooms were located on the upper floors. The building featured tiles, concrete grilles, iron ‘gelosias’ and wooden shutters. Gabriela (Gaby) Maria de Senna Fernandes, originally from Macao, was the engineer in charge of the construction project, and architects Manuel Vicente and José Maneiras monitored the work.

    02

    Labour

    Given the scarce data available on Macau’s building industry at the time, the photographs documenting the school’s construction site trace a initial narrative of the construction process. The records show men carrying out various tasks, such as laying ceramic materials and producing iron reinforcement for reinforced concrete structures. It is likely that most of these men belonged to local labour organisations. Since the mid-19th century, Macau’s construction industry had been organised into specialised groups. Civil construction, known as shangjia, encompassed “three crafts”: carpentry, scaffolding, and masonry. These included the Plasterers Guild and the Carpenters Guild, which trained and employed Chinese workers.

    03

    Skills & Technologies

    The Pedro Nolasco School’s architectural design embodies the linguistic concept of ‘patuá’, a local creole language. It combines Portuguese elements with global influences in the brutalist style of the time, alongside materials from local Chinese and Macanese traditions. These results did not come about through the direct transfer of construction knowledge, but rather through the original outcome of local adaptations and experiences involving various workers and their know-how and construction skills.

    Location

    Fieldwork

    Related Outputs

    “Creolizar” para resistir: A escola de Chorão Ramalho em Macau

    LabourMap-Macao is an Exploratory Project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (2023.14980.PEX).

    Beta trial disclaimer

    The LabourMap-Macao team is responsible for the maintenance of this website, which is intended to facilitate public access to information about the group’s initiatives. Although this is still a beta trial, the intention is to release the information in a timely and accurate manner. Should any errors be brought to the attention of the team, they will be corrected.

    archlabour.erc@iscte-iul.pt

    Iscte-CVTT, Av. Forças Armadas, Lisboa, Portugal

  • Bridge Macau – Taipa (1970-1974)

    Bridge Macau – Taipa (1970-1974)

    BRIDGE MACAU – TAIPA (1970-1974)

    The Macau-Taipa Bridge (1969–1974) was the first bridge to connect Macau with the Taipa and Coloane islands. Renamed Governador Nobre de Carvalho by the local authorities in Macau in 1973, the bridge became a symbol of progress and connectivity, with its structure representing the late period of Portuguese colonial modernity. At 3.4 kilometres long with two lanes and sidewalks, it was considered the world’s longest continuous prestressed reinforced concrete bridge at the time.

    How to cite

    LabourMap-Macao: Mass labour impact on Public Works in Macau under Portuguese administration (1849-1999) (P.I. Ana Vaz Milheiro, FCT/2023.14980.PEX). Bridge Macau – Taipa (1970-1974). Accessed on 16th August 2026. Available at: https://archlabour.iscte-iul.pt/bridge-macau-taipa/

    Last update: February 10, 2026

    01

    Plan & Construction

    Designed by the Portuguese engineer Edgar Cardoso (1913–2000), the bridge was inaugurated in October 1974. Its dragon-like curvature became iconic, symbolising both technological prowess and colonial authority. The initial completion deadline of 1972 was postponed to 1974–76 due to difficulties in finding skilled labour, adverse weather conditions, and the need for additional works. Construction was carried out by international companies specialising in concrete, steel, and other materials, with the support of local firms such as Ho Yn and the Macau Engineering Company. 

    02

    Labour

    The Macau-Taipa Bridge Construction Contract Inspection Brigade recruited a team of experts from Portugal, including Álvaro Simões Cavalheiro, Manuel das Dores, and auxiliary technicians such as Mário de Mesquita Cardoso. Technical reports also mention Macanese engineers such as Wong Chook Keong and Ng Fok.

    03

    Skills & Technologies

    At the time, the project represented a huge technical challenge due to the poor quality of the foundation soils, height limitations, building method restrictions and compatibility with navigation equipment. However, all difficulties were overcome through innovative techniques, such as prefabrication and bonding of prefabricated reinforced concrete, prestressed reinforced concrete, and steel elements with epoxy resins. Another innovative aspect was the installation of a continuous reinforced concrete superstructure with its “extraordinary lightness,” largely prefabricated, “as if it were Lego”. Photographs of the construction site showcase the grandeur of the work, contrasting it with the invisibility of the manual workers. However, these men performed numerous tasks, from preparing the work at the construction site to placing the main elements, such as pillars and beams.

    Location

    Related Outputs

    Framing labour through the colonial lens: Photography and the (in)visibility of work on the construction of the Macau-Taipa Bridge (1969–1974)

    Page currently under construction

    LabourMap-Macao is an Exploratory Project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (2023.14980.PEX).

    Beta trial disclaimer

    The LabourMap-Macao team is responsible for the maintenance of this website, which is intended to facilitate public access to information about the group’s initiatives. Although this is still a beta trial, the intention is to release the information in a timely and accurate manner. Should any errors be brought to the attention of the team, they will be corrected.

    archlabour.erc@iscte-iul.pt

    Iscte-CVTT, Av. Forças Armadas, Lisboa, Portugal

  • São Januário Hospital (1872-1958)

    São Januário Hospital (1872-1958)

    SÃO JANUÁRIO HOSPITAL (1872-1958)

    The unique historical context of Macao, situated within Chinese territory and subject to a distinctive bilateral relationship between the Chinese and Portuguese authorities, has fostered significant architectural and cultural exchanges over time. The São Januário Hospital, located on the Monte de S. Jerónimo, is a prime example of this phenomenon, presenting two remarkably distinct historical phases. Initially, the facility operated from 1874 to 1919 as a military hospital, and subsequently, from 1919 onwards, it functioned as a central hospital. This hospital’s historical evolution enabled the building to span from its original late 19th-century design to a modern and clean aesthetic.

    How to cite

    LabourMap-Macao: Mass labour impact on Public Works in Macau under Portuguese administration (1849-1999) (P.I. Ana Vaz Milheiro, FCT/2023.14980.PEX). São Januário Hospital (1872-1958). Accessed on 16th August 2026. Available at: https://archlabour.iscte-iul.pt/sao-januario-hospital/

    Last update: February 10, 2026

    01

    Plan & Construction

    The floor plan was the inaugural element to be designed, a task undertaken by Captain Henrique Augusto Dias de Carvalho (1872-1873). The elevations were delineated by the architect António Melo (1873-1874), with the collaboration of the draughtsman João Souza Brito. The structure was inaugurated on 6 January 1874 and remained in operation until 8 November 1952, the date of its demolition. The second project for the Hospital was initiated in August 1951 by the radiologist Abel de Simões de Carvalho Júnior, in cooperation with José dos Santos Baptista, who was head of the PW Technical Department at the time.  

    02

    Labour

    The Hospital’s second project was divided into three construction phases. In 1955, the Public Buildings and Monuments Section of the PWs Department was composed of a 2nd Class PWs Overseer in a leadership role, a 1st Class PWs Clerk, an Inspector, and a Mason, the last two salaried employees. The labour required for the construction of this facility was outsourced by a private enterprise. However, photographic evidence from construction sites indicates that the workforce involved in the building’s construction comprised a significant number of labourers, in addition to the PW staff, thereby suggesting the presence of women among the participants.

    03

    Skills & Technologies

    The first building’s design displayed five pavilions separated by small courtyards and railings. It had a two-storey central body and side turrets. Whilst the second presented an E-shaped building with a main body perpendicularly connected to three other bodies, therefore three construction phases. The Hospital’s first block was inaugurated on 10 June 1953, with works carried out by the Company Lei Chü (carpentry, masonry, locksmiths, and finishes), supported by Wha Tung (electrical installation), Agência Técnica Comercial (plumbing and toilets), and H. Nolasco (lifts) companies.  From 1955 to 1958, the 2nd and 3rd construction phases were completed.

    Location

    Page currently under construction

    LabourMap-Macao is an Exploratory Project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (2023.14980.PEX).

    Beta trial disclaimer

    The LabourMap-Macao team is responsible for the maintenance of this website, which is intended to facilitate public access to information about the group’s initiatives. Although this is still a beta trial, the intention is to release the information in a timely and accurate manner. Should any errors be brought to the attention of the team, they will be corrected.

    archlabour.erc@iscte-iul.pt

    Iscte-CVTT, Av. Forças Armadas, Lisboa, Portugal