Since 2012, known and cherished as the annual event that showcases the city like no other, Open House Lisboa remains committed to renewing and promoting proximity to architecture. In this year's 10th edition, the big news is the extension of the visiting itinerary to Almada, not only to bring together those who live in the two cities, but also to relate them through their natural and built landscape.
Co-produced by the Lisbon Triennale and EGEAC and counting on the strategic partnership of Lisbon City Council, in 2021 the event is strengthened by the signing of a cooperation protocol with Almada City Council. This formal act between the Lisbon Architecture Triennale and the Almada City Council arises from a common desire to strengthen the banks, uniting the territories through the common ex-libris that is the Tagus River.
On the weekend of September 25 and 26, the new itinerary takes a look at the two cities as landscapes shaped by a natural element, water. The idea comes from the Baldios landscape architecture collective, the first group of professionals invited to curate an Open House whose main object of work is the landscape.
Under the theme "The Paths of Water", the route highlights the role of the River Tagus and all its underlying potential for extending the two cities, inviting you to discover the different types of buildings that accompany the water lines - sometimes visible, sometimes invisible or extinct - which define the striking topography of these two territories and, consequently, their built landscape.
Inês Medeiros, Mayor of Almada, says that "It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome the 10th edition of Open House to Almada, which will showcase the extensive architectural heritage and beauty of this territory whose landscape is marked by the presence of the sea, the Tagus and its relationship with Lisbon. We have embraced this partnership with the Lisbon Architecture Triennale in the certainty that Open House 2021 will be a challenge and an opportunity to understand and design the south bank of the River Tagus, which unites three major municipalities and is essential to the development of the Lisbon metropolitan area.".
According to Fernando Medina, Mayor of Lisbon, "At a time when the public space and the common space of the city are taking on a unique role, we must continue to bring citizens closer to architecture and heritage. A city cannot do without this gaze, which is a representation of how we see ourselves as a community and how we see the world. I believe that the Triennale will continue, as always, to show us the best of this artistic manifestation, which is so cosmopolitan, universal and creative".
For José Mateus, president of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, this new roadmap proposal comes naturally, stating that "living in Lisbon involves a permanent look at the Tagus and Almada, which thus form part of the city, completing it like a body with several members".
In 2021, on September 25 and 26, Open House Lisboa will have its 10th territorially expanded edition, with a unique and accessible itinerary in which we follow the waterways that connect Lisbon and Almada.
