Camões Secondary School

Considered exemplary in terms of pedagogy and hygiene, the school building’s simple, unadorned volume stands out for its technical functionality. Ventura Terra brought the French Lycée model with him after his training in Paris and realised this building during the monarchy’s final years through a regular, asymmetric plan over two floors in the form of a trident made up of a main facade, two lateral bodies and a central one parallel to them, placed around two huge open spaces for playing/recreation. In 1918 it served as a hospital at the height of the Spanish Flu epidemic. A decade later, the Physics and Chemistry offices were built, given the need to distance the laboratories from the school’s main premises. Over time, it was expanded to incorporate the facilities of the neighbouring António Arroio School, as well as new amenities such as an auditorium, sports hall and canteen. The canteen stands out for its autonomous, horizontal form and generous lighting, which ensures cross-ventilation and a direct connection with the outdoors.