Misplaced Pages

Portuguese pavement, known in Portuguese as calçada portuguesa or simply calçada (or pedra portuguesa in Brazil), is a traditional-style pavement used for many pedestrian areas in Portugal. It consists of small pieces of stone arranged in a pattern or image, like a mosaic. It can also be found in Olivença (a disputed territory administered by Spain) and throughout former Portuguese colonies, especially in Brazil. Portuguese workers are also hired for their skill in creating these pavements in places such as Gibraltar. Being usually used in sidewalks, it is in town squares and atriums that this art finds its deepest expression.

One of the most distinctive uses of this paving technique is the image of Saint-Queen Elizabeth of Portugal (Santa Rainha Isabel), in Coimbra, designed with black and white stones of basalt and limestone.

History

Paving as a craft is believed to have originated in Mesopotamia, where rocky materials were used in the inside and outside of constructions, being later brought to ancient Greece and ancient Rome.

The Romans used to pave the vias connecting the empire using materials to be found in the surroundings. Some of the Roman techniques introduced then are still applied on the calçada, most noticeably the use of a foundation and a surfacing.

In its current form, Portuguese pavement was first used in Lisbon from 1840 to 1846, during repairs to São Jorge Castle directed by general and engineer Eusebio Pinheiro Furtado. These included the repavement of the castle's courtyards with a zigzag pattern of alternating black and white stones deemed atypical for the time.

In 1848, Pinheiro was put in charge with the renewal of Rossio square, which he paved with a pattern of waves in homage to the sea crossed by Portuguese sailors. From then onward, the calçada began to spread throughout the streets of Lisbon and Portugal as a whole. Much of the motifs and patterns would revolve around the sea and maritime exploration, and the pavement quickly became a symbol of Portuguese culture and identity, also spreading overseas to Portugal's colonies.

Portuguese pavement spread to Spain in the late 19th century, most notably to Barcelona in 1896, where it was used to pave the sides of the Salón de San Juan, with later expansions in 1909 and 1917–1920.

It was not until 1905 when Portuguese pavement was first used in Brazil, in the city of Manaus. Belo Horizonte followed suit, and then Rio de Janeiro. In Rio, mayor Francisco Pereira Passos was a strong promoter of implementing the calçada as part of the city's urban renewal plan, which was subsequently adopted in the reworking of Avenida Rio Branco, importing calceteiros, designs and even stones from Portugal. The remaining building materials were destined to the newly innaugurated Avenida Atlântica, in its iconic wavy pattern. Portuguese pavement then began to proliferate through Rio.

In the 1940s, the Portuguese calçada began to evolve in line with the principles of the International Style, developing abstract geometric patterns. In Brazil, this pavement was used in many projects directed by modernist architects, in which they blended traditional materials and techniques like the calçada with contemporary design. Roberto Burle Marx applied it to many of his works and conserved it when redesigning Copacabana in the 1970s.

Future

This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (October 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2014)

Very little new paving of this type is done, and the entire profession is at risk. The long hours and low wages typical of calceteiros have reduced apprenticeships and thus new pavers. Furthermore, as the pavement is less safe (provides less traction when wet; loose stones can become tripping hazards), costs more (especially with the difficulty of obtaining appropriate stones), and wears quicker than concrete or asphalt, there is also dropping interest in investment and construction in it. Although there were once hundreds of calceteiros, most modern work is on conservation or major architectural projects.

In spite of its historical and cultural value, this type of pavement has raised concerns in recent times, particularly in regards to its accessibility. Portuguese pavement has been noted for being particularly slippery, a condition worsened by natural wear and tear as well as by rainy conditions, the latter of which also allows for the formation of puddles in more concave, worn-out sections. Other disadvantages include the propensity for weeds and moss to form in its cracks. The loosening of stones is also a relevant issue, making sidewalks covered by this type of pavement need constant maintenance and repair in order to avoid pedestrians from tripping. These qualities have often made transport for the elderly, wheelchair users, pregnant women and babies in strollers particularly difficult. Portuguese pavement is also especially harsh on some types of footwear.

In Portugal, Porto completely replaced the traditional pavement of its city centre for granite blocks in 2005.

In Brazil, while São Paulo has almost completely replaced the Portuguese pavement sidewalks of Paulista Avenue with a cheaper, more regular type of concrete pavement since 2007, other cities such as Rio de Janeiro still have nearly ubiquitous Portuguese pavement, particularly in more affluent areas.

It can also be found around the Asunción Super Centro building in Asunción, Paraguay.

Technique

Craftsmen lay a bedding of gravel upon a well-compacted trench of argillaceous materials, which accommodates the tessera stones, acting as a cement.

• 1. Preparation of stones
• 2. Manual placement
• 3. Cement mix spread on the pavement
• 4. Final product

Calçada as a form of art

• Stars in Lisbon
• Portuguese pavement in Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro
• Pavement in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro
• Lagos in Algarve
• Restauradores Square, Lisbon
• Póvoa de Varzim's runes in Praça do Almada
• The Senado Square's distinctive tiled pattern in Macau
• Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Graça, Praia, Cape Verde
• Compass rose depicted in São Jorge, Azores
• Portuguese pavement near Pavilhão Atlântico at Parque das Nações, Lisbon, Portugal
• Portuguese pavement in Alameda Manuel Van Dunen, Luanda, Angola
• Portuguese pavement in Generoso Marques Square, Curitiba, Brazil
• Island of Mozambique
• Portuguese Centennial Park, Hayward, United States
• Plaza de España, Olivença
• Pavement on the Rossio square, Lisbon
• Pavement in Ocean Village, Gibraltar
• Bom Jesus, Braga, Portugal
• University of Coimbra
• A transistor symbol at the University of Aveiro
• A sidewalk in Ponta Delgada, Azores Portugal
• Portuguese pavement incorporating pavement lights

See also

• Sett (paving)
• Mosaic
• Terrazzo
• Engineered stone

References

1. Prof. Ricardo Cunha Teixeira. Artigo no jornal Tribuna das Ilhas, "A matemática dos antigos". 20 September 2023.
2. ^ Rey Pérez, Julia. "La construcción del espacio público con piedra portuguesa: el pavimento como soporte de cultura y sostenibilidad". ASRI Arte y Sociedad (in Spanish) (8). ISSN 2174-7563. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
3. Remesar, Antoni; Esparza Lozano, Dánae. "El diseño del suelo y la imagen de la ciudad: La calçada portuguesa". On the W@terfront (in Spanish) (32): 9–15. ISSN 1139-7365. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
4. Medeiros Veiga, Marcia Regina (2020). Territórios de Cuidado: Protagonismo e pluralidade na velhice (in Portuguese). Coimbra: Coimbra University Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 9789892617978.
5. ^ Cambiaghi, Silvana (December 2017). "Calçada em pedra portuguesa é adequada para utilização por todas as pessoas?". Móbile (in Portuguese). São Paulo: Revista CAU/SP. pp. 20–21. ISSN 2448-3885. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
6. "Asunción Super Centro". Foursquare. Retrieved 8 December 2020.

External links

• Paving in Portuguese, urbanphoto.net
• Portuguese pavement and its histories (Portuguese language)
• The Portuguese Pavements Handbook (10 MB), Direccção Nacional de Energia e Geologia (Portuguese/English)

v t e Portuguese architecture
Styles	Romanesque Gothic Manueline Renaissance Plain Baroque Rococo Pombaline Neo-Manueline Neo-Mudéjar Summer architecture Soft Portuguese style
Structures	Airports Bridges Castles Cathedrals Football stadiums Hospitals Reservoirs and dams Tallest buildings and structures
Elements	Azulejo Gilding Lioz Pavement
Colonial	Portuguese Colonial architecture Sino-Portuguese architecture Sobrado Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World
Others	Architects Monuments Housing IGESPAR Seven Wonders of Portugal
Category Portuguese Renaissance

v t e Portugal articles
History	Timeline Oestriminis Ophiussa Lusitanians Lusitania Gallaecia Hispania Suebi Buri Visigoths Al-Andalus County of Portugal Treaty of Zamora Manifestis Probatum Kingdom of Portugal Monarchs 1383–1385 interregnum Treaty of Windsor Consolidation Portuguese golden age Empire Renaissance Treaty of Tordesillas Iberian Union Restoration War 1755 Lisbon earthquake 1761 Lisbon earthquake History of Portugal (1777–1834) Peninsular War United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves Liberal Revolution Liberal Wars Constitutional monarchy Republican Revolution First Republic World War I 28 de Maio Estado Novo Overseas War Carnation Revolution Third Republic By topic Economy Military Music Language
Geography	Cities Mountains Iberian Peninsula Islands Lakes Regions Rivers Earthquakes Volcanoes
Politics	Administrative divisions Constitution Elections Foreign relations Government Judiciary Law Law enforcement Human rights LGBT Military Parliament Political parties President
Economy	Agriculture Central bank Economic history Energy Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Fishing Mining Science and technology Stock Exchange Telecommunications Tourism Transport
Society	Crime Demographics Drug policy Education Health Homelessness Housing Immigration Languages Naturism People Poverty Prostitution Time Women Culture Architecture Cinema Cuisine Wine Literature Media Monuments Music Public holidays Religion Sport Symbols World Heritage Sites
Outline Index Category Portal

• Pavements
• Mosaics
• Stonemasonry
• Architecture in Portugal
• Architecture in Brazil
• Garden features
• Street furniture
• Footpaths
• Portuguese traditions