The Leixões Cruise Terminal and the Casa da Música are emblematic buildings of contemporary Portuguese architecture that will feature in the new extension of Portugal dos Pequenitos, in Coimbra. Siza Vieira and Souto Moura will be part of the project, which will be completed in 2026.
Photography: Luis Silva
Portugal dos Pequenitos, in Coimbra, is a miniature park that showcases Portuguese culture and heritage. The Cruise Terminal of the Port of Leixões will be one of the new miniatures in the space, with the aim of bringing children closer to Portuguese architecture and culture.
The miniature Terminal will be built on a lake with a spiral ramp, offering a unique environment for visitors. The Casa da Música will have perforated interiors to stimulate visitors' curiosity.
For this expansion, seven prestigious architects were invited to represent their works, such as Álvaro Siza Vieira, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Rem Koolhaas and Luís Pedro Silva. The project, presented by the Bissaya Barreto Foundation (FBB), will also include the Casa da Música, the Pavilion of Portugal, the Casa das Histórias, among others.
In the presentation of the project, Patrícia Viegas Nascimento, president of the foundation, explained that the requalification of the park will be phased: "A first phase in which we provided the park with infrastructures that it did not have and involved a major intervention in the landscaping. A second phase was to provide the existing pavilions with more contemporary content that would be more attractive to today's children. And a third phase, which is the one we are currently in, which corresponds to the expansion of the park", she stated.
The third phase will start in early 2025 and is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2026.