“For its characteristics, this work has always seemed to present complex challenges, some of which I was able to follow during its construction: a new underground floor would house the CNAD collection, with over 1400 pieces; the old building would deserve an extremely delicate and meticulous treatment of restoration and conservation; and the new building would rise 5 stories above the ground in a structure of concrete, wood, glass, iron, aluminium and a double facade with hundreds of barrel caps.
On the other side, this renewed space promised, from its very beginning, to revitalise the city centre: architecturally, in a dialogue with its history and its outskirts, and, culturally, from the possibility of a new programme with immense opportunities.
Finally, and perhaps most important of all, this building ultimately expresses a moment of consolidation of Cape Verdean craftsmanship and the emergence of a new force for the artistic and creative sector.
Thus, throughout the period in which I documented the work of enlarging and renovating the CNAD, I sought to approach an understanding of both its physical and symbolic dimensions (is that what architecture is?).”
Diogo Bento
© Diogo Bento
© Diogo Bento