The Municipality of Monchique and the Order of Architects will challenge professionals of the class, at a national level, to design a house that is resistant to forest fires. The idea was put forward this Tuesday, during the signing ceremony of the protocol between the two institutions, which calls for volunteer architects to draw up projects for the houses to be rebuilt in that county, following the fire in August last year.
Rui André, Mayor of Monchique, added that “the municipality, together with the Order, is preparing a public competition to put the creativity of architects to work, so that they can create a house that shows how people can live in the territory. forest and rural areas with comfort and security».
This will be a proposal for a “resilient home”. "Monchique wants to be a pioneer council in this aspect", guaranteed the mayor.
According to Pedro Hébil, member of the direction of the Order's Southern section, a house of this kind “may allow people, to protect themselves from fire, to stay inside, instead of leaving”.
The competition, which will be promoted by the Ordem dos Arquitetos, should be ready to launch by the end of the year.
The end of the process of rebuilding the houses affected by last year's fire could take longer, although now it has the help of volunteer architects.
This is "the first time that the volunteer professional program [Volunteer Architects for Emergency Support], created by the Ordem dos Arquitetos in 2017, intervenes to help in the preparation of projects for the reconstruction and improvement of housing in areas affected by fires." highlighted Paula Torgal president of the southern section of the Order.
The architects will be available "to help populations free of charge in emergencies", and the remuneration or not of professionals will be analyzed "case by case", even because the IHRU - Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation, which manages the program “Entrance Door” has funds for the elaboration of projects.
Although the agreement has only just been signed, Rui André guaranteed that the support of this class and others, such as that of engineers, “began to be given shortly after the fires, but only now has the official agreement been formalized”.
For the municipality, this is an important aid “to help with the reconstruction and provide the houses with comfortable conditions”.
The mayor of Monchique recalls that the process of rebuilding houses “is made difficult by the territory and characteristics of the municipality of Monchique. Although the municipality does not manage money or funds, there are cases where we feel the need to “lead” the procedures».
"This protocol now gives us the possibility to tell people that we have a scholarship of architects, from where they can be chosen," he added.
Almost a year and a half after the fire, there are still houses to rebuild. Rui André guarantees that «the process is proceeding normally», although he admits that «he hoped it would be faster».
This could be due to a certain «numbness associated with the catastrophe that befell us» and, «if the person does not have the capacity to proceed with the processes, the municipality should help».
Currently, there are 15 houses "with reconstruction processes pending" and there are “six cases where projects are further behind and we may have to lead them”.
Rui André believes that all processes at the IHRU will be filed by the end of this year and that, in August 2020, all the houses will be rebuilt.
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