The cultural and community center that was born in Quartel Largo do Cabeço de Bola intends to continue and expand its movement with the “Jardins do Bombarda” project
After the Largo do Cabeço de Bola Barracks closed to the public in October 2023, the cultural and social cooperative Largo Residências, in partnership with ESTAMO, found continuity for this project through the partial occupation of the Miguel Bombarda Hospital, in Lisbon. . This solution allows the maintenance of several projects and collectives in the territory (Arroios) that contribute to local development with cultural, social and economic impact. “Jardins do Bombarda” is the new cultural and community center that opens to the public in the 2nd quarter of 2024. In this context, we launched this campaign to raise funds to carry out works to requalify existing spaces and create modular structures for host various projects.
BOMBARDA GARDENS SPACES
Alameda das Oliveiras
- Installation of around 30 modular wooden sections, for permanent residents to occupy
Pine forest
- community space
- public activities + terraces
Highland
- leisure space
- outdoor cultural programming
- resident collective spaces
- installation of around 20 wooden modular sections, for permanent residents to occupy
Garden Houses
- artistic residencies
- public toilets
- outdoor bar
LARGO Building (former Day Hospital)
- Refuge Residences
- Jardins do Bombarda Restaurant
- administration and offices
Studio Room “Valentim de Barros”
- cultural programming space and residences
- 1 black box for shows and events
- 1 foyer bar
- 2 rehearsal/event rooms
- 6 resident project workshops
For our part, we have been studying, with the Government and Estamo, a solution that allows us to maintain the territory, moving this ecosystem of organizations and ideas to part of the former Miguel Bombarda Hospital. With the certainty that this community experience was not in vain and that it strengthened all the organizations involved, we will not stop. We do not abdicate our role in territorial cohesion and in the construction of so-called “third spaces”, of common interest and non-profit. In just one year of opening the Barracks to the public, we have shown that public buildings, even awaiting new futures, cannot be empty and can be preserved and maintained by the people of the neighborhood.
About the author
Since October 2022, an old and vacant GNR Barracks has given way to citizenship, culture and inclusion. During this last year of opening to the public, LARGO Residências promoted more than 900 socio-cultural programming and training events with more than 80 specific partners for around 50 thousand visitors/public. Neighbors and social partners appropriated a safe, intergenerational and multicultural space that included the participation of groups of activists on climate and gender issues, citizens in various conditions of social vulnerability (situations without shelter and refuge) creating a permanent work space for 40 socio-cultural projects (individual and collective) covering 190 workers. In total, more than 1,000 people working in the area of culture and social intervention were involved, contributing to an economic impact estimated at 1.3 million euros, according to the turnover of resident entities.
In October, after the gates closed to the public, we were preparing to leave this space to make way for the start of works for the, as necessary as it is urgent, construction of affordable housing on the Government's initiative. As people and organizations with their feet firmly planted in this territory, we know that nothing can justify the delay in urban rehabilitation that allows the creation of more homes for people to live.
This movement promoted culture, social inclusion and local development and intends to continue and expand its reach through the cultural and community center “Jardins do Bombarda” which will be opened in the 2nd quarter of 2024.
We build a city, open to everyone.
We advocate that the future of Hospital Miguel Bombarda may take into account the defense of its cultural heritage by promoting partnerships and collaborations with different entities and cultural and territorial agents who, over the last few years, have alerted and presented several proposals for this space so that the its use can be democratic, representative and inclusive.
NOTE
LARGO Residências welcomes the future Fundiestamo project planned for the Santa Bárbara Barracks, through the National Building Rehabilitation Fund (FNRE), where the construction of housing units that will integrate the Affordable Rental Program is planned, as well as spaces commercial, cultural and services.
Budget and due dates
The 30 thousand euros intended to be raised in this crowdfunding campaign will guarantee the transition process from the main activities of the Largo do Cabeço de Bola QUARTEL to the GARDENS of the Miguel Bombarda Hospital, namely artistic residencies and social inclusion, and work spaces for all the associations in the cultural and creative sector that have joined this movement since the Barracks. This amount will pay for the first works to adapt creative and artistic and social residence spaces, namely rehearsal rooms, studios and temporary residence rooms.
LARGO Residências will not sit idly by – this crowdfunding is just the beginning of a process of raising other support. We are raising support mainly in materials for the works, with the amount raised for human resources, and as is our usual practice, we use people in socially vulnerable situations to create these work teams, thus being another indirect way of social support.
We plan to begin the process of recovering the spaces in February, anticipating the start of operation of these spaces between April and May.
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