Coimbra: Portugal dos Pequenitos launches competition for contemporary architecture on a reduced scale

Portugal dos Pequenitos, in Coimbra, launched a public tender earlier this month for the reduced-scale construction of five buildings designed by contemporary architects, the theme park's director told Lusa.

Nuno Gonçalves reminded the Lusa news agency that the works represent an investment of seven million euros, and are expected to begin this year, or at the beginning of 2026.

"Portugal dos Pequenitos will expand to approximately one hectare, entirely dedicated to contemporary architecture, benefiting from the collaboration of five renowned architects who have worked together and whose creativity and vision have redefined the landscape of contemporary architecture in Portugal," he declared.

This park expansion project, created in 1940 on the left bank of the Mondego River, will have contributions from Álvaro Siza Vieira, Eduardo Souto Moura, Rem Koolhaas, the latter represented in the work by Ellen Van Loon and Nuno Rosado, Luís Pedro Silva and João Pedro Falcão de Campos.

These are reproductions in reduced dimensions of notable examples of contemporary Portuguese architecture, from different cities: Pavilion of Knowledge (Siza Vieira), Paula Rego House of Stories (Souto de Moura), House of Music (Rem Koolhass), Cruise Terminal of the Port of Leixões (Luís Pedro Silva) and Bar à Margem (João Pedro Falcão de Campos).

The designers of each of the buildings, according to Nuno Gonçalves, “successively met until a balance was found between all the volumes and a compromise was established regarding scale and layout on the site”, under a preliminary plan by architects Frederico Vital Soares and Eduardo Costa Pinto, “supported by two major ideas: to build a resilient and biodiverse garden, proposing a coherent and sustainable discourse on water”.

"The project goes beyond simply representing iconic buildings on a reduced scale. It proposes a careful and detailed reinterpretation, an approach that considers not only each building individually, but also the relationships between them, the paths that connect them, and their harmonious integration with the surrounding garden," he explained.

Founded by Fernando Bissaya Barreto, during Salazar's Estado Novo dictatorial regime and in the context of the Portuguese World Exhibition, Portugal dos Pequenitos is celebrating 85 years of activity.