The Palace of Imagination is both a process and a series of multifunctional small structures and collective spaces that were built to tackle the needs of the residents of Emboladoura neighborhood through different participatory strategies. “PI” was able to convert socio-spatial vulnerability into a transforming movement, where each “individual being” and “the collective being” can expand their imaginary, and thus overcome external and self-imposed oppression.
Local
Portugal
Bairro da Emboladoura, Gondar, Guimarães
Mainly urban
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
2022-12-10
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): School of Architecture, Art and Design, University of Minho Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Cidália Last name of representative: F. Silva Gender: Female Nationality: Portugal Function: Associate Professor Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Campus de Azurém Town: Guimarães Postal code: 4800–058 Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 910 416 292 E-mail:cidalia@eaad.uminho.pt Website:https://www.arquitetura.uminho.pt/en/Pages/default.aspx
Name of the organisation(s): ProChild CoLAB Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Gabriela Last name of representative: Trevisan Gender: Female Nationality: Portugal Function: Sociologist Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Campus de Azurém Town: Guimarães Postal code: 4804-533 Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 938 458 833 E-mail:Gabriela.Trevisan@prochildcolab.pt Website:http://oldsite.prochildcolab.pt/en/home/
Name of the organisation(s): Fraterna Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Paula Last name of representative: Oliveira Gender: Female Nationality: Portugal Function: Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Travessa de Vila Verde - S. Sebastião Town: Guimarães Postal code: 4800-430 Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 253 511 400 E-mail:administracao@fraterna.org Website:http://www.fraterna.org/index.php
Name of the organisation(s): Emboladoura Residents Association Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Elisabete Last name of representative: Dourado Gender: Female Nationality: Portugal Function: President Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Urbanização da Emboladoura Bloco 2, Entrada 4, Cave 1,2 Town: Guimarães Postal code: 4835-537 Gondar Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 915 541 058 E-mail:ameassociacao@sapo.pt Website:https://associativismo.guimaraes.pt/associacao/1496/associacao-solidariedade-social-moradores-emboladoura/quem-somos
Name of the organisation(s): Parish Council of Gondar Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Agostinho Last name of representative: Faria Gender: Male Nationality: Portugal Function: President of the Parish Council of Gondar Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Urbanização Emboladoura Gondar Town: Guimarães Postal code: 4835-537 Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 253 535 582 E-mail:geral@freg-gondar.com Website:https://www.freg-gondar.com
Name of the organisation(s): Family Health Unit of Pevidém Type of organisation: Other public institution First name of representative: Filipa Last name of representative: Natal Gender: Female Nationality: Portugal Function: Coordinator Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Rua Albano Martins Coelho Lima, 307 - S. Jorge Selho Town: Guimarães Postal code: 4835-302 Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 253 539 670 E-mail:usf.pevidem@arsnorte.min-saude.pt Website:https://bicsp.min-saude.pt/pt/biufs/1/10028/1030871/Pages/default.aspx
Name of the organisation(s): Guimaraes City Council Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Domingos Last name of representative: Bragança Salgado Gender: Male Nationality: Portugal Function: Mayor Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Largo Cónego José Maria Gomes Town: Guimarães Postal code: 4804-534 Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 253 421 200 E-mail:presidencia@cm-guimaraes.pt Website:https://www.cm-guimaraes.pt
Name of the organisation(s): Lab2PT-Landscapes, Heritage and Territory Laboratory Type of organisation: University or another research institution First name of representative: Jorge Last name of representative: Correia Gender: Male Nationality: Portugal Function: Director Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Campus de Azurém Town: Guimarães Postal code: 4800-058 Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351 253 510 526 E-mail:sec@lab2pt.uminho.pt Website:https://lab2pt.net/en
The idea to transform this neighborhood’s social spatial vulnerability arose from the four-year partnership between academia (EAAD and Lab2PT, UMinho) and ProChild, to combat poverty and children exclusion. The intervention territory is the area of Pevidém, where the neighborhood is inserted: a region plagued by poverty that has also experienced the burden of all the textile industry crises in recent decades.
To address the problems of this extremely underprivileged neighborhood, the transdisciplinary research-action team joined efforts with local partner Fraterna, which became the PI’s promoter, a settled social solidarity institution, to implement the project. The “PI” is both a process and a series of multifunctional small structures and collective spaces that were built to tackle the needs of these residents through different participatory strategies adapted to the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having been neglected for decades by the responsible official institutions, these residents were involved in a process that aimed to enhance their collective life and their sense of belonging.
The aim is to convert socio-spatial vulnerability into a transforming movement, so that each “individual being” and “the collective being” can expand their imaginary, and thus overcome external and self-imposed oppression. This process also considered the need to conduct activities to promote community wellbeing, both for children and adults. Eighteen different activities were developed between October 12, 2021 and December 10, 2022 aimed at children, who have been a quintessential part in the co-creation and co-making of the PI. Having benefited from a public fund of €50,000, PI became a reality by bridging the gap between the Individual and the Collective, in a dialogic collective empathy and commitment where the power of imagination can open new avenues.
Participatory co-creation process
Addressing community needs
Engaging children in the making
Building multifunctional structures
Enhancing the community's sense of belonging
PI key objectives interconnect four main dimensions of sustainability: ethical, environmental, social, and economical. Within the ethical domain, the project pledges to responsibly meet community needs by participating in the 18 PI activities (see annex 1), including the process of creating adaptable collective structures that can be used both inside Fraterna (the promoter of the project and the solidarity institution that supports this population), and outside, in the public space, for numerous uses.
The project formed different partnerships with the local community, stakeholders, and companies such as the textile industries, which are a trademark of this region (see annex 2); these businesses have participated in manufacturing components for the structures and provided waste and remnant materials (fabrics, cardboard rolls, etc.) that were reused throughout the project’s activities. These partnerships connect the environmental, social, and economic sustainable dimensions.
The environmental dimension is enhanced by reconnecting people with nature, namely by integrating them into the natural realm. These residents can now enjoy a pleasant and bright environment thanks to the placement of the Palace’s structure facing the River Ave’s valley with its beautiful agricultural slopes. The project was able to establish a connection between environmental sustainability and public health by bringing together the local Family Health Unit, two doctors, and a local restaurant to promote healthy eating habits on two levels: using locally available ingredients such as homegrown vegetables, and teaching children how to prepare healthy and tasty meals. Regarding the economic dimension, it must be emphasized that promoting the local market allowed residents to sell their own produce and draw in customers from the neighboring areas, thus helping to mitigate the social stigma that continues to affect this place.
The three languages of textual, visual and design of built structures are linked in terms of aesthetic quality (see annex 3). The writing was done by crafting a language faithful to the poetry of imagination. The children were directly involved in this process, which comprised activities such as the promotional fundraising video. A careful selection of colors and patterns made with children and young people crafted the distinctive visual language of PI across all the communication pieces (logos, videos, pamphlets, etc.). The idea of a distinct aesthetic that incorporates visual quality was thought to be crucial for dispelling the unfavorable perceptions regarding this excluded place.
In terms of the aesthetics of the designed structures, two points must be taken into account: a) the wooden structures are easy to assemble, allowing the project to focus on its "making with the children" goal; they are also easy to disassemble and to move to another site, besides being flexible and stimulating free and playful appropriation by children; b) the multipurpose uses of the structure of the Palace facing the River Ave's valley favor the enjoyment of this beautiful landscape.
The choice of the color red for this structure, the same color used in the Guimarães Historic Center (a World Heritage Site), is an ethical statement so we do not forget the 99% of this resource and attention-strapped territory. Fostering positive emotions is conducive to revitalize a sense of community, especially among the kids and teenagers who actively took part in selecting the PI's placement. The project’s various events provided local residents with access to cultural experiences, such as a concert by a well-known Portuguese band, the International Day of Play, a reading session for the community led by a famous children's book author, and expert-led cooking classes that broadened the residents’ experiences. The PI was able to meet people's needs and promote better lifestyles as a result.
Considering how disadvantaged and isolated this community is, inclusion and affordability have long been major concerns. We dealt with many inclusion dimensions by interacting with the community, including both young and old, as well as people who face a range of difficulties, such as addiction.
Children and young people are always an important stakeholder in these processes, although they are often left behind or do not actively participate in expressing their desires and needs. One of the key goals of the PI was to improve the neighborhood’s collective spatial conditions through a co-creative and co-constructive process of the PI’s physical structures to meet previously identified community needs. Another important goal was to integrate these residents into the PI's structures in order to consolidate their various forms of appropriation and sense of belonging, both at the individual and the collective level. Not only by appropriation through integrated activities, but also by taking into account all age groups.
In the end, these criteria were met both by involving the whole community in different stages of the process and by consistently mobilizing endogenous resources that could contribute to meeting principles of cost affordability regarding the construction of the structures and implementation of the activities. Local communities often possess important resources that are not always acknowledged as valuable enough to be included in such projects, be it a particular craft (such as construction, textile expertise, etc.) or specific businesses that are willing to contribute to specific projects like the PI. Finally, by integrating the local residents, particularly children and adolescents, inclusion and participation principles are thus addressed. In doing so, a revitalized sense of belonging is also achieved, which was one of the PI's core objectives from the outset.
PI’s main goal was to ensure that the activities implemented would benefit the local residents and the citizen at large. During all phases of the built project, the civil society and partners were crucial to achieve the desired outcomes. The communication strategy, via regular media posts, ensured that the information reached a larger audience, thus opening the neighborhood to the civil society and helping to reduce the existing social stigma. Several events brought together both local residents and outsiders, such as the exchange market (vendors and buyers); the International Day of Play; the Quatro e Meia concert; and the vegetarian food workshop on International Women's Day, promoting gender equality in a notoriously sexist setting.
The residents were involved in all stages of the process: A) A survey made with children in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, provided a preliminary analysis to assess on what should be the focus of the project. The residents’ most critical needs (see Annex 4 e 5) were all related to the basic necessity for a shared covered space and improved study conditions for children. B) Via the "Interdialogue" and "inhabit my neighborhood" we learnt about the residents' skills, how they would like to participate in the PI, and where the PI structure should be placed. C) Both children and adults participated in the co-making of the wooden structures to "recreate the study" (see Annex 3); as a result, children discovered their own handcraft skills and how enjoyable this experience can be. The genuine involvement of the local population in the 18 activities helped strengthen their community ties. Thanks to the PI, the community has built structures to address their identified needs: a 7.5x 15 meters covered space, capable of accommodating the uses listed in the community diagnosis; and, next to it, the Imaginarium and 6 flexible wooden structures, a space for study and many other uses (see annex 6). All this is now possible because of the PI.
PI’s idea to apply to the funding program for investment in socio-spatial transformation arose from a four-year collaboration between academia (EAAD and Lab2PT, UMinho) and Prochild, aiming to fight poverty and children exclusion. The intervention territory is the wider area of Pevidém, in which this neighborhood is inserted: a region suffering from high levels of poverty, in addition to having been tremendously impacted by the textile industry crises in recent decades.
PI was designed with different stakeholders and partners headquartered in the territory (see annex 2). Many have voluntarily given endless hours of their work, as this was the only way to achieve the proposed goals with such a tight budget (€50,000). The stakeholders had different responsibilities and their level of involvement in the project varied, with some of them providing institutional or technical support, whereas others (by their own nature) were responsible for the design and implementation of the different activities. The continuous collaboration between Fraterna (a Private Social Solidarity Institution that is the promoting entity), EAAD, Lab2PT UM, and Prochild in the mobilization of the various activities proposed should be highlighted.
As an institution established in the neighborhood, Fraterna’s technicians closely interacted with the community while managing the project and coordinating the several partners in a crucial effort to mobilize endogenous resources, the community's involvement, and facilitate the weekly PI work with children in its facilities. The residents' association, the parish council and the Municipality provided logistical support. The local textile company supplied waste and remnant materials to be used in several PI activities. The Landscape Lab promoted environmental awareness actions to bring about changes in attitudes and behaviors towards achieving a cleaner and healthier neighborhood.
The project’s transdisciplinary nature allowed obtaining a rigorous knowledge of the territory and its residents, as well as the necessary proximity to the local population to build a sound and trusting relationship. This multi-level analysis of the community’s desires and needs was achieved with the help of the different professionals involved in the diagnosis process.
The activities designed to address these needs required experts from different fields of knowledge, such as sociology, visual arts, social workers, educational specialty, pediatrics, psychiatry, writers, psychology, music, social educators, and primary school teachers, all of whom participated in the different stages of the process. Architects mapped the place, and designed the three PI’s main structures (the wooden structures, the covered collective space, and the Imaginarium). Sociologists and educational experts designed strategies to involve the community, particularly children and young people. Health professionals were responsible for the prevention activities developed with children and young people, working closely with a psychologist, a pediatrician and a psychiatrist, all experienced professionals in working with children and young people. Social workers and social educators were particularly important in specific activities, such as the workshops developed on the International Women’s Day, by involving the community, and contributing to gender equality awareness in a highly sexist setting.
Goal achievement would only be possible with a transdisciplinary team such as this one, since expertise knowledge was critical to address the complexity and dimension of the previously identified needs. Already in January 9-13, 2023, in the Fa[s]er workshop, 60 architecture students from EAAD.UM worked in the neighborhood, having built 8 different architectural devices (a counter for the community kitchen; structures for play, etc.), thus adding a huge value to the PI.
The project’s direct beneficiaries are around 200 residents of the Emboladoura Neighborhood, including adults, children and young people. However, PI’s collective structures continue to serve different uses and activities, and a larger number of people from the surrounding areas can also benefit from them. Local primary school children from the Gondar parish were also participants in activities such as the International Play Day and the musical concert by Quatro e Meia, with an audience of around 40 children and 6 adults.
PI also had an impact on creating innovative pedagogic strategies in the field of architecture, both at EAAD.Uminho and SRH University Heidelberg, by proposing exercises to the students within this ongoing in-situ Project, namely in the academic year 2020-2021: 55 third-year students surveyed and mapped the neighborhood’s social-spatial features, and designed the urban strategies. In the following academic year (2021-2022), while being a Visiting Professor at the SRH University Heidelberg, the architecture students had the opportunity to develop their own design proposals for the Palace of Imagination in this neighborhood by assessing local needs and considering the prior urban analysis by their Portuguese colleagues. It is also important to highlight the outcomes of the PI regarding the FA[S]ER (Making/Being) workshop developed in situ during January 9-13, 2022, which involved 60 EAAD.Uminho students in the creation and construction of flexible architectural devices for this neighborhood, thus continuing the project of Palace of Imagination as a work-in-progress. This activity strongly impacted the students, since it was the first time they had the opportunity to work with a “real-world” situation. Having 140 architecture students facing real-world challenges equates to sowing a seed for the blooming of a generation committed to “the needs of territories, communities and individuals that need particular and urgent attention”.
The innovative character of this project stems directly from the close relationship between academia — Architecture (EAAD) and Lab2PT — ProChild, and all the local stakeholders. Academics are applying their professional understanding of the diffused territory of Vale do Ave to promote concrete changes.
Another critical trait is the PI's transdisciplinarity, which brings together 11 different fields of knowledge to produce a singular process, to achieve a thorough understanding of the territory and its residents, as well as the necessary proximity to build trust, and to improve the emotional, psychological, and physical conditions of a place inhabited by a very vulnerable population.
The project's participatory strategies differ from the majority of mainstream interventions in underserved areas, which fail to include the local residents, especially children, in all the project’s stages— from the diagnosis to making and appropriating the structures —, since they require more engagement time regarding the completion of the whole process.
Prioritizing children and young people, who are the most commonly excluded generations from the participatory processes, not only by listening to their needs and desires, but also actually involving them in all the project’s stages, from conception to construction. Children and young people evaluated very positively what these activities brought them: for example, the celebration of the International Day of Play (see Annex 7).
PI’s original method, strategy and the proposed structure of verbs-actions (interdialogue, inhabit, activate, recreate) that can be replicated in other settings.
The circular economy for the construction of the structures via use of endogenous resources. Opening up a territory also entails inviting many local entities to contribute to improving the population’s wellbeing.
The continuous transdisciplinary endeavor by converging the field of architecture (through the EAAD and Lab2PT, UMinho, ProChild researchers) with the fields of sociology, fine arts, and design contributed to making this PI a reality by active involvement with the neighborhood’s children on a weekly basis for one year.
The participatory process used a methodology that applies 4 verb-actions (see annex 3) to materialize the PI’s objectives. Within each verb, different activities were planned to address specific needs: 1) Interdialogue (bridging the space between “I” and the “Other”). The “Interdialogue” workshops were designed with the community to discuss the goals of the construction of the PI. 2) “Inhabit:” the neighborhood (the community’s cafes); the play ( celebrating the International Play Day); the study (children using the wooden structures to do their homework); the food (bread making and vegetarian cooking workshops); family physical and mental health (through free sessions with a pediatrician and a psychiatrist directed to children, young people and other professionals); the fabrics (by reusing textile industries’ waste in the construction of the pieces). 3) “Activate:” universal prevention, and wellness promotion with sessions on prevention of drug abuse; and activating exchange with the environment and the sky (global communication), through the community market, for example. 4) “Recreate:” the study (by building the wooden structures); recreate the wall, the floor and the roof (by building the Palace’s structures and creating a wall/network of communication between the project team and the residents); and, finally, recreate the dialogue among all involved.
This is a site-specific non-conformist project. Still, paradoxically it can be replicated in other places or communities. The adopted ethics is the first principle to be endlessly repeated: to recreate over and over again a utopian project that addresses the needs and potentials of people and place, without any prejudice, through acceptance and empathy without a priori judgments as the starting point for committed change and the construction of a place for freedom and inclusion. The project can be replicated according to four points. A) The methodology is structured in five verbs/actions – ‘to Interdialogue’ as an instrument to interconnect all the individuals involved in a project; ‘to Recreate’ whatever is needed to recreate (the wall, the ceiling, the doors, etc.); ‘to Inhabit’ (the food, the playing, etc.); ‘to Activate’ (the exchange, the environment, the sky, etc.). B) The study box’s wooden structure is a prototype that can be manufactured and used in any place by module repetition; the process has demonstrated that this can be used both inside and outside in the public space; it can be appropriated in an infinite number of ways, providing an intimate space for a single child to feel at home in their own body while peacefully reading a book while in a shared and common space, and the perception of the collectiveness of the structure by playing with the modules to create a protected place. C) The Imaginarium is a small triangular architectural piece equipped both with a ”spyhole” to look at the sky and expand our sense of infinity and belonging to a much larger universe, and a square window facing the ground to play. The non-function of the Imaginarium is the infinite freedom to imagine and be alive. D) And finally, the project’s motto, ‘”Imagination” as the capacity for integral communication of each being and of all.
Different challenges are addressed with this project. A first one regards citizens’ participation in meaningful projects in their own communities, especially children and young people, who are quite often excluded from these opportunities. Their participation constitutes a fundamental right (UNCRC) and it is also a priority under the scope of the European Strategy for the Rights of the Child (EU, 2022-2027), in addition to being a condition for their recognition as full citizens. Environmental concerns and sustainability are also at the center of the project, as explained previously, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), namely sustainable cities and communities, and climate action. By working with deprived communities, the project aimed to tackle social exclusion and poverty, which fall under the 1st SGD, gender equality (SGD number 5), for example, by celebrating Women’s Day, involving men and women, girls and boys in preparing healthy meals to take away, and also by promoting a healthy lifestyle and well-being (SGD number 3) via sessions with health professionals open to the larger community. Finally, quality of education (SDG number 4) through the construction of the wooden structures that provided children with an adapted space both for individual and group study, co-designed and co-made with them.
The right to beauty and aesthetic quality is an ethical commitment towards universal inclusion, no matter how deprived people are —ethics and aesthetics hand-in-hand. In the event that we win this prize, the amount will be invested in this territory that still needs our full attention.
