Origins

Engineering in the context of Portuguese economic and social development in the 19th century; introduction and development of the teaching of engineering.

1. Fundamentals of Electricity

(main moment: 1901)

From the first experiments to the generalisation of urban electrification. Introduction of tramcars (Oporto, 1895; Lisbon, 1901); construction and development of the main power stations (Central Tejo, Lisboa; Central do Ouro, Oporto); electrification in the industrial sector (first textile plant, 1904).

From the laws of 1927, regarding the construction of a national electrical network, to the National Electrification Act of 1944.

2. Buildings and Construction Materials

(main moment: 1902)

Engineers’ interventions associated with the application of new materials in buildings, directly competing with architects; from the iron cycle, at the dawn of the new century (Palácio de Cristal and D. Maria Bridge in Oporto and the Santa Justa Elevator and the Auto-Palace Garage in Lisbon, the train terminals in Rossio and S. Bento, Lisbon) to the concrete cycle (Moagem do Caramulo), which guaranteed the success of the first concrete plant, Portland, 1894.

As a material and technology, experimental concrete was used in public programmes; from industrial construction to the large public scale; technical developments and systems; the return to large-scale public works by the end of the century.

3. Chemistry

(main moment: 1908)

The chemical industry in the first half of the 20^th century: production of fertilizers dominated the country’s development; the end of the 19^th century and the Companhia Real Promotora da Agricultura Portuguesa (1884). The construction of the CUF industrial complex in the Barreiro region (1908); the Companhia Industrial Portuguesa (1919) and SAPEC (1926); covering national needs for super phosphates on the eve of the Campanha do Trigo; companies like Soda Póva, Amoníaco Português and Nitratos de Portugal.

4. Metallurgy and Metallomechanical Sector

(main moment: 1915)

The difficulties in implementing Portuguese heavy industry: lack of ore, lack of capital, technical deficiencies; the role of José Pedro Colares (1808) Tomé Féteira (1856), the Burnay family (1874) and Eduardo Duarte Ferreira (1879); World War I, the peace treaty and the growth of the metallurgic sector (the Fundição de Oeiras and CUF’s Metallomechanical Workshops); the alliance between agriculture and “good industry” in the Campanha do Trigo (Wheat Campaign); the construction of machines and vehicles for agriculture; Tradition vs. Engenium: Portugal’s industrialisation; mass production of precision machinery (Oliva, 1948) and the start-up of the heavy metallomechanical industry; the need to concentrate and re-equip sectors; technological backwardness and the fight for survival of a sector.

5. Ports and Coastal Engineering, Naval Construction and Fisheries

(main moment: 1929)

Harbour construction and coastal engineering: from natural to artificial harbours; the first Harbour Plan (1929) and subsequent harbors; construction and enlargement works of the main harbours throughout the century: Aveiro, Leixões, Lisboa, Setúbal and Sines.

Naval industry: the Rocha shipyard (construction and concession to Soc. Constr. e Rep. Navais, 1927, rental to CUF); Arsenal do Alfeite (1927); shipyards of Viana do Castelo (1944), Lisnave (1967), Setenave (1974), closure of Margueira (2000) and the concentration of repair activities in Mitrena (the “hydrolift”); naval construction in Viana do Castelo.

Fisheries, fishing technology and resources, the triangle on which the Portuguese fisheries in the 20th century was based; innovations, which go back to the end of the 18th century, turned art into industry; the balanced exploration of the seas.

6. Agricultural Hydraulics

(main moment: 1930)

Creation of the Junta Autónoma das Obras de Hidráulica Agrícola (1930): the work of Paul de Magos (1938), the Sado river valley (1949), the Campina da Idanha (1949); Lei dos Melhoramentos Agrícolas (1946) (Agriculture Improvement Act); the works of Lis (1948), Algarve (1956-1959) and Sorraia (1959); Plano de Rega do Alentejo (1957) (the Alentejo Irrigation Plan) and its achievements; utilisation of the Mira river (1969); utilisation of the Nordeste Transmontano and the Cova da Beira regions; the beginning of the Alqueva dam.

7. Bridges and Public Roads

(main moment: 1937)

From the first concrete bridges (Vale de Meões bridge, 1904) to the Duarte Pacheco viaduct (1944). The construction of a national road network: The Lisboa-Cascais Marginal road (1937) and the Lisboa-Estádio National highway (1944); beginning of the Norte highway (1961). Bridges of Edgar Cardoso (Arrábida, 1963). The bridge over the river Tagus (1966). Entering the European Community: IP and IC roads, the highway network and its works of art. The “via verde”. Cable-stayed bridges and the Vasco da Gama bridge; portico bridges and the S. João bridge. Installation of the railway in the 25 de Abril bridge.

8. Mining and Georesources sector

(main moment: 1930)

Acts: Lei de Minas (1930) (Mining Act). Pirites do Alentejo (30´s); the Development Policy for the Mining Sector and the creation of the Mining Development Service (1939) and the recognition of the national inventory; the uranium and tungsten mines; the Panasqueira mines; the mines of Aljustrel, Loulé and Neves Corvo.

Ornamental rocks (marble, granite) and mineral waters.

Maritime robotics and underwater acoustic signals in the 90s: the missions in the Azores region, and exploration of plate tectonics in the Azores Triple Junction.

9. Electrification

(main moment: 1944)

The 2002 Act, Portugal’s Electrification Act (1944); The Zêzere and Cávado hydroelectric power stations (1945), designed for great electricity producers; The formation of CNE (1947) and the creation of the National Transport Network (1951) and the “Repartidor Nacional de Cargas” (1951); The utilisation of the national and international Douro river; The Portuguese Thermoelectric Company. The great oil- and coal-fired power stations; The Portuguese Company of Electricity (1969). EDP’s nationalisation and formation; Unification of production and distribution and completion of the country’s electrification; EDP’s division and creation of the EDP Group (1991); EDP’s privatisation, 1997; Energy market liberalisation; the Iberian and the European market.

10. Dams

(main moment: 1951)

“Lei das águas” (1919) (Water Act); First great initiatives: Lindoso (1921); The role of the Alto Alentejo Hydroelectric Company. Guilhofrei (1938); Santa Luzia (1942); The 2002 Act; Portugal’s Electrification Act (1944). Creation of the hydroelectric companies of Zêzere and Cávado (1945): Castelo do Bode (1950), Venda Nova (1951), Cabril (1954); the Alto Rabagão Dams (1963) and the International Douro river dam; The Irrigation Plan of the Alentejo region (from 1962). The navigability of the Douro river and the Carrapatelo gate system (1971). Cabora Bassa (1974). The National Douro dams; Alto Lindoso (1992); Closing of the Alqueva gates (2002).

11. Heavy Metallomechanical Sector

(main moment: 50´s)

A new direction: industrialisation, electrification, the development of transport and the advent of the heavy metallomechanical industry: Sorefame (1943), Efacec (1948), Mague (1951) and Sepsa (1958); From the first projects of hydromechanical equipment: valves, grids, pipelines and irrigation equipment to equip the great thermal power stations: boilers and turbo-generators; The creation of the “greatest machines in the world” - the naval industry: the Lisnave shipyards; towards internationalisation; the “1979 Energy Agreement” and the issue of the national engineering autonomy in the completion of large-scale projects; The 90s: restructuring, mergers and international markets.

12. Rail Applications (main moment: 1959)

The railway as a structuring element of Portuguese territory and obstacles to its development; An integrated technical system, from the platform to setting up the catenaries and facility management. In terms of long duration, the railway is innovative and reliable. The High Speed Train and the renewal of the railways.

From the Lisbon Underground (1959) to the Oporto underground.

Sorefame and the development of the railway equipment construction sector, R&D in the universities and the modulation of “crash”.

13. Urbanism and Territory

(main moment: late 50s, early 60s)

Urbanism as the answer to the growth of cities; The expansion of Lisbon by Ressano Garcia (1903); Duarte Pacheco and the plans for Lisbon, 1938-1948; The “Groer Plan” (1948) and the great transformations produced in the city during the next three decades, including the plan of Alvalade by Faria da Costa (1948) and, in the 50s, the plans of Olivais and Chelas; The “Plano Regulador do Porto”, by Almeida Garrett (1952); the recovery of the eastern area of Lisbon and the urbanisation of Parque das Nações (1994-2000).

Geographical information systems and the geo-referenced contents.

14. Forests and By-products

(main moment: late 50s, early 60s)

The 1901 Forestry Regime; the beginning of the forestall and forestation policy, which proceeds under State supervision, and the active role of the big industrial companies; the Companhia Portuguesa de Celulose in Cacia (1954) and the development of the pulp and paper sector (Celulose Billerud/Celbi, 1965; Inapa, 1969; Portucel, 1975); the production of wood by-products (Sonae, 1959) and the transformation of cork (Corticeira Amorim, 1963); the current leading role in the respective sectors of groups like Sonae and Amorim.

15. Chemical Processes

(main moment: 1961)

The establishment of high-pressure chemistry; The formation of União Fabril do Azoto e da Amoníaco Português (1952). Nitratos de Portugal (1957). The development of CUF.

The development of the agro-food (tomato concentrate, beer and animal feed) and glass sectors (Covina, 1941), the production of synthetic fibres, plastic packaging, antibiotics and pulp and paper.

Oil refining (Sacor, 1940, 1954, 1969) and the development of the petrochemical sector (Sociedade Portuguesa de Petroquímica, 1961). Refinarias do Norte (1969) and Sines (1978).

Siderurgia Nacional (1961), from the opening to the closure of the blast furnace.

The Pólo de Desenvolvimento of Sines (1971) and the construction of a concentrated area of base industries.

16. From Moulding to Product Engineering

(main moment: 1980s)

From the origin of Marinha Grande associated with the glass industry, to the introduction, in the 1930s, of bakelite; Moulds for plastics and the Aníbal H. Abrantes company (since 1946), the “Mould University”; From the beginning of exports in the 50s with moulds for toys, to the appearance of numerically controlled machines in the 70s and the introduction of CAD/CAM software; The 90s: new technologies and moulds for cars; reverse engineering, fast prototyping processes, laser-assisted technologies, immersive or virtual environments and advanced technologies; Cooperation between companies and international markets.

17. Automobile Sector: from production to conception

(main moment: late 1980´s, 1990s)

Introducing the assembly, in Portugal, of vehicles for the internal market: 1961-1974/76 – CKD Assembly Units; The Renault Project: 1977-1986/88. Cacia, Setúbal and the origin of the first Portuguese component suppliers; The AUTOEUROPA Project: 1989-2002/04, and the programme to stimulate component supplier networks, which account for nearly 25% of Portuguese exports.

18. Information and Communication Systems

(main moment: late 1980´s, 1990s)

The fundamentals of communications; the emergence of information systems. The 70s turning point: the formation of LNEC‘s Informatics Centre and the purchase of a DEC-10; from GECA to CET; the development of artificial intelligence; Datamatic – a pioneering company; The 80s: the creation of INESC and some of its projects; ENER 1000 and the willingness to create a Portuguese PC; the start-up of tele-medicine; the emergence of Automatic Teller Machines; the 90s: the expansion of the internet; pre-paid cards and the mobile boom; the singularity of «Via Verde».

19. Shoemaking Sector: Equipment and New Technologies

(main moment: 1992)

Manual processing of natural materials until the end of the 70s; Mass production of synthetic materials in the 80s; Technological innovation and ecological materials (recyclable) in the 90s: demonstration initiatives carried out in 1992 in Basilius and the role of the Centro Tecnológico de Calçado.

20. Energy and Environment

(main moment: 90s)

The introduction of natural gas and the construction of the Combined-Cycle Power Station of Tapada do Outeiro. The emergence of cogeneration and the installation of the heat and cold network at the Parque das Nações in Lisbon; the role of industrial ecology in the exploitation of products at the end of their life-cycle (cars, tyres, etc.); the importance of wind energy in the future of electricity distributed production.

21. Engineering and Life

(main moment: late 1990s)

The future of bio-engineering regarding the organs of the human body: limbs, eyes, the heart; the case of the hip prothesis; Portuguese projects in the field of bone regeneration; computer simulation as an aid for clinics; prothesis biomechanics; the electrical hand.

Studies on human movement and body safety in movement (cars, trains); Modifying Nature: improvement of vegetables and genetically modified organisms; Biotechnology at the service of the food industry: the curdling of cheese; the link between cheese quality, milk selection and the genetic features of sheep; Environmental technology: sulphur-eating bacteria for oil; purification of industrial effluent with “yards” of plant filters; the treatment of waste from olive oil press facilities; recombinant products with high added-value; Escherichia coli: the new molecular plant.