Atlas
Braga, PT
2025
In a small square of Braga’s Fontainhas neighborhood lie the ruins of an old villa. Long forgotten, the site still preserves the stone fountain that gave the neighborhood its name. Above it stands a sculpture of Atlas, the Greek titan condemned to carry the heavens—a figure that inspired the project’s title. Atlas seeks to reclaim this neglected ruin for the community through two main actions: cleaning its stone walls and installing a lightweight timber roof that makes it possible to host cultural activities as part of Braga 25, Portuguese Capital of Culture. Just as Atlas bears a celestial vault, the ruin now supports a structural canopy. The project forms part of Forma da Vizinhança, a festival that brings together eight urban installations in Braga’s peripheral neighborhoods to expand the city’s cultural program beyond the historic center. Emerging from a participatory process with residents, the intervention responds to the identified absence of a gathering space. The ruin now gains a “fifth façade”: an 18-by-6-meter timber vault built using the Zollinger Lamella system. Crafted from Galician pine CLT and reclaimed steel, the vault was CNC-cut, preassembled, and transported in modular segments, minimizing impact through the use of local resources and labor. Since its opening, Atlas has become a civic landmark, hosting concerts, screenings, meals, and workshops, with the community now advocating for its permanence.
Author:
Manuel Bouzas
Team:
Juan F. De la Torre (structure), Riley Wine, and Varun Gandhi (AAP)
Supporters:
Cornell AAP & Xilonor
Production:
ArtWorks
Organizer:
Forma da Vizinhanca
Photographer:
Luis Díaz Díaz
