University of Coimbra and Coimbra City Council partner to promote architectural and urban documentary heritage

On the 18th of June, the University of Coimbra (UC) and the Coimbra City Council (CMC) signed a cooperation agreement between the Coimbra Municipal Archive (AMC) and the Department of Architecture (DArq) of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology at UC. The agreement aims to preserve the memory and produce knowledge in the field of architecture and urbanism in the city and region of Coimbra.

The aim of the partnership between the AMC and the DArq is, among other things, to create an Information and Research Centre for Architecture in Coimbra (CIIAC). The CIIAC will enable the University and the City Council to identify, process, provide and disseminate information through various means.

The centre will also be responsible for the promotion of the architectural and urban development work that has been the hallmark of the centre region to date. The collaboration will also enable the exchange of information between the two institutions. For example, students and researchers at UC will be able to access technical documents from the City Council to support the creation of knowledge. AMC will also ensure the archiving and digital dissemination of the documentary collections transferred to DArq, relating to some of the most prestigious architects and urban planners, such as Étienne de Gröer, Vasco Cunha, and Carlos de Almeida, whose work has had a major impact on the city, the region, and the country as a whole.

The partnership between the UC and the CMC also provides for the implementation of a common policy for the collection of new documentary collections, promoting their international dissemination.