Reconstruction of the monastery in Coimbra by Aires Mateus

In the Portuguese city of Coimbra, there is one of the oldest universities in the world, which was founded in the late 13th century and four years ago this institution was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. In the neighborhood of the main university courtyard Paço das Escolas, the building of the College of the Holy Trinity, founded in the mid-16th century, had been dilapidated for decades, leaving only the outer walls. The Lisbon duo of architects Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus restored the ruin not only with a limestone roof but also with a framework for educating future lawyers. Over the centuries, the school has undergone a number of modifications. The authors of the reconstruction decided to preserve the 'eternal' elements of the massive stone walls and complement them with 'ephemeral' elements made of lightweight steel structures covered with white plaster. The new constructions in the historical environment seem to float in space. They maintain mutual distance, allowing a system of ingenious skylights to be created, distributing sunlight deep into the layout. The brotherly duo Aires Mateus is often criticized for their sterility and impracticality for daily use. In this case, the white surfaces create a neutral background so that the beauty of the original stone can stand out, and visitors can appreciate the history of a building that's half a millennium old.