Tejo Power Station (architectural ensemble)

The building complex Central Tejo is an industrial monument at the site of the first power plant to generate electricity in the Portuguese capital Lisbon, it is located in the west of the city, on the banks of the Tagus.

This extensive factory system from the first half of the 20th century was converted into a museum. The brick facades emphasize the uniform appearance of the whole building, distinguish it from all other surrounding buildings, giving it a unique, characteristic shape. The large building of the " Tejo Dampfzentrale " is supported, however, by a supporting iron structure - such as from an inner skeleton.

Primitive Central Tejo

Originally existed at this point a small " power plant ", the old " Central Tejo", popularly known as "da Junqueira Central", named after an eponymous street in the neighborhood. Erected by these earlier production facility, designed by the engineer Lucien New from the architect Charles Vieillard and Fernand Touzet 1909, nothing is left. Their pronounced modernist trend limited the decorative elements mainly on the northern and southern fronts. On the west side of the main bay three halls for the steam boiler lined. Hallmark of this " great master" were the slender chimneys, one of brick, the other in the reverse funnel shape, made ​​of iron.

The north and south sides of the main hall, where there were the generators were in their ornamentation similar to other former architectural projects of iron, such as railway stations and market halls, decorated in the style of modernism, whose influence then began to emerge especially in Portugal. Three Divided by pilasters, with narrow horizontal prongs Frisians, and, on a broad pediment. Right and left two mutually arranged openings: with the lower lintel, the top spanned by segmental arch. In the middle segment, is wider than the lateral sections, an enormous Fensterjoch over the entire front face, which to the gable enough into the socket, so that the upward or formed a shoulder. The decorated with tiles Rundbogenrahmung bore the inscription: " 1909 / C ª s Reunidas de Gaz e Electricidade / Estação Eléctrica Central Tejo" (1909 / United gas and electricity utilities / power plant Central Tejo ).

From the late 19th century, the industrial buildings of the former sugar refinery came next to the power plant, then owned by the " Companhia de Açúcar de Moçambique ". These were to buy than you began with the demolition of the old " Tejo Dampfzentrale ". It was a small factory with no special decorations, but however a very peculiar shape, which was composed of two elongated Sägedachbauten, a kind of tower, which served as a silo in the middle, and four double- pendent covered cross halls on the west side. All window openings were supported by segmental arches and Backsteinrahmung.

Current Central Tejo

The phase of the low-pressure production

The construction of the building for the low- pressure system started in the middle of the first decade, although until 1930, still several enhancements have been made. Influenced by the modernist architectural style ( in Portugal under the name " Arte Nouveau " ), it consists of an iron structure, lined with the typical brick brick which will be used later in the construction of the high-pressure machine hall.

Several workshops, three equal and a fourth, slightly larger, with a gable roof, forming a bright, column-free interior, the former boiler room. To cross to the east side, two more factories, also modernist, although the more distant the substation had no double- pendent roof.

At the relatively low facades stand out the high vertical, framed by arches window. In a kind of frontispiece with stresses offset edge and a concluding fall. Along the bottom base, which seems to be the remaining facade to " support ", the brick was covered with plaster. Frame -shaped projections simulate segmental arch windows ( some were actually there ).

Particularly noteworthy is the front view of the machine hall. On the river directed, she offers, perhaps because, of all the views modernistischsten facets, but without violating the overall aesthetic design. The base is distinguished by its Werksteintäfelung above the green sheet, the arched window openings with a capstone. At the height of the brick lining strive three extremely high arched windows up, the middle slightly larger than the others. The continuous frame-like enclosure, each with keystone on the arch apex, runs along the entire southern front and side walls. The facade gable is similar to a Lombard arched frieze, decorated with brick borders. How to draw two church towers pilasters on the wall upwards.

The longitudinal facades, divided by high pillars into three sections, reveal a harmonious overall picture, each with three high windows that frames a continuous border along the entire front page. In rectangular window, the so strung together act as a final trim.

The phase of the high-pressure production

The neo-classical influence differentiates the ornamentation of high pressure building from the Niederdruckbau. The decorative elements are gaining size and monumentality. But again, the brick cladding is applied. As with the Hall of low-pressure steam boiler itself also adds here the inner holding blanket between the boiler and ash chamber from a brick arched vault with parallel semi-domes together, with the difference that the low-pressure production of ceramic and of which the high-pressure phase of reinforced concrete.

The building was built in the forties and reflected, influenced by the classicism of the Renaissance palaces, the Zeitgeist and the authoritarian environment of the times there beset it. Its structure is, in fact, a technical masterpiece, an exponent of the iron architecture in Lisbon without equal. It holds not only the brick masonry, but also serves as a supporting structure of the boiler as well as supporting bracket for the fireplaces and the water depot on the roof. From an aesthetic point of view, the facade with the model of a Renaissance palace is comparable, divided into base, pilasters and entablature. The main façade has three large windows in the longitudinal arch style with a final Mesolithic and trim skirt which extends across the entire front; between high pilasters, from the base to the top gable.

There, run two independent Friese. The bottom with framed indentations; the upper, in the same arrangement, but with windows in the bordered fields. Closer to the low- pressure system is a small tower, and the four towering chimneys of the high-pressure boiler and below the mechanisms for air inlet and flue.

The building Dampfzentrale " Central Tejo" differs from all buildings in the area, not only because of its imponenten monumentality, but of course the typical brick aesthetics. Hard to believe that it was formerly a "power plant ".