It is with great sadness that we received the news on 27 July of the passing of architect Nuno Portas, our esteemed donor. He donated his archive of slides on the Local Ambulatory Support Service (SAAL) to the Centre.

The SAAL was created during the 2nd Provisional Government, at the end of July 1974, through a joint order by the Minister of Internal Administration and Nuno Portas, then Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Planning. Its main objective was to provide support to the population – at the time, a quarter of the Portuguese population – who lived in places that did not meet minimum conditions of safety, health, comfort and privacy, through a programme that provided for the construction of decent housing that met the real needs of the population.

To achieve this goal, the architects involved – Nuno Portas, Alves Costa, Sérgio Fernandez, Siza Vieira, Souto Moura, Gonçalo Byrne, Nuno Teotónio Pereira, Fernando Bagulho, among others – based their work on the premise that the participation of residents in the design and construction of the houses was fundamental for them to take full ownership of their new homes, resulting in a collaborative effort between architects and the population. The architects, with the help and involvement of the population, drew up the plans; the future residents built the new homes and the State provided the financing.

In honour of his memory, we dedicate this month's document to Nuno Portas, selecting two photographs from our archives that show his involvement and commitment to the pioneering path he embarked on in favour of social housing, urban regeneration and the enhancement of public policies for the city.

Photographic Archive of Alexandre Alves Costa:

Meeting at the Porto School of Fine Arts. Nuno Portas and Barros (S. Vítor Residents' Committee), 25-01-1975. FT04260.

Ivo Cortesão Photographic Archive

Meeting on serious urban problems in Coimbra. Architect Nuno Portas in the foreground. Rui Braga Carrington da Costa (third from the right of Nuno Portas), then President of the CMC Administrative Committee. FT00037 (Box 11-Env.6).