The “Bauhaus of the Seas Sails” project officially kicked off on February 1 and 2, in Lisbon, joining scientists, artists, architects and local communities in the search for answers to environmental problems in the Ocean. This is the only lighthouse project led by Portugal and funded by the European Union under the New European Bauhaus. The entities involved in the project are Instituto Superior Técnico, the Lisbon City Hall, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Magellan Circle.
“We used to look at the giant waves in Nazaré as a scary space, today it is one of the most visited places in the country. We have to find, understand and explore the value of coastal spaces and include them in urban planning”, stressed Nuno Jardim Nunes, professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, president of ITI-Larsys and coordinator of the project, during the kick off event held in the Beato Creative Hub, Lisbon. “The idea of choosing the ocean as the heart of the project, taking into account its ecological impact, is quite powerful”, reinforced the President of the Instituto Superior Técnico, professor Rogério Colaço.
The first day of the event focused on solutions for coastal cities of the future, an artistic performance, the presentation of the largest 3D printer in Europe that is being set up in the Beato Creative Hub, which is capable of creating new customised solutions (such as the production of surfboards made from recyclable thermoplastics), a visit to an exhibition, and a meal made from algae from the Portuguese coast.
“The Bauhaus of the Seas Sails project will renew our vision towards the sea, as a space for entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation in order to accelerate sustainable development in the oceans”, said Diogo Moura, Lisbon City Hall’s Councillor for Culture at the closing session, on the first day.
The second day of the event, held at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, in Lisbon, brought together several entities such as Fam Studio, Max Plank Institute of Animal Behaviour and Atelier Luma, which explored innovative activities and experiences for building more sustainable, inclusive and beautiful coastal cities.
The project involves 18 partners from six countries, including Portugal, which is the project leader through Instituto Superior Técnico. It also involves the following research units affiliated with Técnico: Interactive Technologies Institute (ITI-LArsys), Centre for Innovation, Technology and Policy Research (IN+), Marine Environment and Technology Centre (MARETEC) (all collaborate with Associate Laboratory LARSyS) and the Centre for Innovation in Territory, Urbanism and Architecture (CiTUA). The project has institutional support from international partners such as the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program (CMU Portugal).
