2026 // 2025 // 2024 // 2023 // 2022 // 2021

12.FEB.2023 ︎︎︎ DOMINGOS EM CASA #1

The first open day - “Domingos em Casa“ (Sundays at the house) - brought together neighbours, friends and cooperative members for a day of shared maintenance work, informal gathering and a public conversation on culture and territory with local artists and cultural practitioners.

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25.FEB. >05.MAR.2023 ︎︎︎ HOSTING OF THE FIRST ARTISTIC RESIDENCY

Estação Cooperativa hosted the documentary film residency Anticipated Diary, by João Sarantopoulos, Francisco Borges, Maria Patrão, Sebastião Borges and Pedro Teixeira.

Inspired by the diary kept between 1969 and 1972 by primary school teacher Edvirges Pisco while teaching in São Brissos, the project explores present-day life in the parish of Santiago do Escoural through a dialogue between past and present. Rather than comparing different eras, the film reflects on how memory can help us understand the present and imagine the future of rural territories.

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10-30.MAR. 2023 ︎︎︎ ARTISTIC RESIDENCY

Photographer and visual artist Sérgio Braz d'Almeida developed the residency Territorialização (Territorialisation).

Living in Casa Branca throughout the residency, he continued his photographic research by creating new image series, including still-life compositions assembled from objects collected within the village. Through these found materials, the project documents the territory while revealing its hidden narratives and everyday landscapes.

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26.MAR. 2023 ︎︎︎ GENERAL ASSEMBLY

General assembly: to review and approve the 2022 management report and financial accounts.

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26.MAR. 2023 ︎︎︎ DOMINGOS EM CASA #2 

The second “Sundays at the house” open day brought together neighbours, friends and cooperative members for another collective maintenance day and informal community gathering.

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21.APR.2023 ︎︎︎ BAHAUS VILLAGES SEMINAR

Participation in the seminar Network of Villages for the Future: EUROACE Bauhaus Villages, held in Coimbra and organised by CCDR Centro, CCDR Alentejo, the Regional Government of Extremadura and the municipalities of the Villages for the Future Network.

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30.APR.2023 ︎︎︎ DOMINGOS EM CASA #3

The third “Sundays at the house” open day combined collective maintenance activities with the public conversation Living in Casa Branca, exploring contemporary ways of inhabiting rural territories.

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12-13.MAY.2023 ︎︎︎ II TERRA BAHAUS GATHERING

Participation in the Second Terra Bauhaus Gathering, held in Valencia de Alcántara (Spain) and Beirã (Portugal). Estação Cooperativa moderated the working session Transforming with the Community: Territory and the Commons, focusing on collaborative approaches to territorial regeneration.

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14.MAY.2023︎︎︎ ENERGY ADVICE FOR RESIDENTS

As part of the European Powerpoor programme, coordinated in Portugal by Coopérnico, Casa Branca hosted free home energy consultations for local residents. The initiative aimed to support households experiencing energy poverty while promoting renewable energy communities and encouraging citizens to become active participants in the energy transition.

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14.MAY.2023︎︎︎ DOMINGOS EM CASA #4

The fourth “Sundays at the house” open day included a public discussion on Renewable Energy Communities, moderated by Coopérnico, alongside the usual programme of community gathering and collective maintenance.

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02.JUN.2023︎︎︎ EXTENSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL PUPPET FESTIVAL OF MONTEMOR-O-NOVO

Casa Branca once again hosted an extension of the 15th Montemor-o-Novo International Puppet Festival, organised by Alma d'Arame, bringing contemporary puppetry and performing arts to the village.

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11.JUN.2023 ︎︎︎ PUBLIC TALK: WATER AND THE COMMONS

An outdoor conversation entitled Streams, Ponds and Wells: Water Uses and the Construction of the Commons in the Plains of Casa Branca, curated by Bruno Caracol.

The discussion brought together researchers, local associations, public institutions and residents to reflect on the collective management of water resources and the environmental history of the territory.

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15.JUN.2023 ︎︎︎ BASEHABITAT MASTER’S PRESENTATION 

Former participants in the 2022 BASEhabitat design-build studio presented their architectural masterplan proposal at the University of Arts Linz (Austria), sharing the research developed from their experience in Casa Branca.

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20.JUN.2023 ︎︎︎ EUROACE EVENT

Participation in the panel The New European Bauhaus in EUROACE: Connecting Experiences and Creating Synergies, held in Mérida (Spain) as part of the Villages for the Future Network initiative

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29.JUN.>02.JUL.2023 ︎︎︎ EXTENSÃO “PRÉ0CUPADA” FESTIVAL EXTENSION

Following its programme in Montemor-o-Novo, the Pré0cupada Festival, organised by Oficinas do Convento, arrived in Casa Branca with an intensive programme of performances, exhibitions, walks, talks, workshops, cinema and participatory activities.

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29.JUN.>02.JUL.2023 ︎︎︎ DOCUMENTARY EXHIBITION (LINZ, AUSTRIA)

Former participants in the 2022 BASEhabitat design-build studio presented a documentary exhibition in Linz, Austria, showcasing the rehabilitation process carried out in Casa Branca and the architectural research that emerged from the experience.

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07>13.AUG.2023 ︎︎︎ ARTISTIC RESIDENCY

Estação Cooperativa hosted the interdisciplinary residency OVNI, bringing together dance, visual arts and music with artists Dally Schwarz and Marcos Aganju.

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21.AUG.>08.SEP.2023︎︎︎ VOLUNTEER SELF-BUILD PROGRAMME

A series of volunteer self-build workshops provided hands-on training in traditional construction techniques, including lime plastering, clay plaster, lime finishes and ceramic tile installation. The programme was coordinated by CRU Atelier, combining practical learning with the rehabilitation of the cooperative's heritage buildings.

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30.AUG.>04.SEP.2023 ︎︎︎ EXHIBITION AT FEIRA DA LUZ / EXPOMOR

The outdoor exhibition Creating Memories in Terras de Ferro was presented at Feira da Luz / Expomor, Montemor-o-Novo's annual fair, extending the project's visibility to a wider regional audience. The installation was coordinated by Oficinas do Convento.

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01>10.SEP2023 ︎︎︎ OLOS ARTISTIC RESIDENCY

Other Lands Other Sounds (OLOS) is an intensive residential summer programme bringing together visual artists and musicians to develop collaborative and experimental artistic practices. Coordinated by Filipe Sousa, Beatriz Martinez, Kate Smith, Henrique Apolinario and Mette Slot Johnson, the residency concluded with a public presentation of the work created during the programme.

08.SEP ︎︎︎ public presentation

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01>21.SEP.2023 ︎︎︎ CULTURE MOVES EUROPE RESIDENCY 

Following their three-month stay in Casa Branca during the 2022 BASEhabitat design-build studio, Mia Hemmerling, Christine Gärtner, Lea Hartmann and Tim Kölle returned to the village for a new architectural residency, joined by Paula Weil and supported by the Culture Moves Europe programme. Working collaboratively with the local community, they designed and built a lightweight modular shade structure using locally sourced and reclaimed materials. The residency included public presentations of both the creative process and the completed installation.

08.SEP ︎︎︎ public presentation of the process
29.SEP ︎︎︎ opening

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25>30.SEP.2023 ︎︎︎ ARTISTIC RESIDENCY

The theatre company Projecto Ruínas developed a creative residency for the production of Whisper, continuing the cooperative's programme of supporting contemporary artistic creation.

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26.SEP.2023 ︎︎︎ STARTING OF ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH PROJECT 

A group of Master's students from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon (FA-UL) visited Casa Branca to launch their final research project. Under the theme Architecture and Ideology, the village and the work of Estação Cooperativa became the project's central case study. The research was supervised by architect Daniel Jesus, coordinator of the SUSTENTA – Sustainable Design Laboratory, in collaboration with the University of Porto's programme More than Houses.

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01.OCT.2023︎︎︎ START OF REHABILITATION WORKS

Construction officially began on the rehabilitation of a 300 m² former railway building, which would become the Terras de Ferro Centre – Documentation, Interpretation and Research Centre of Casa Branca. This intervention marked another significant milestone in the adaptive reuse of the former railway heritage managed by Estação Cooperativa. The project was co-funded through LEADER / PDR2020 / Portugal 2020 / EAFRD, with additional support from the Municipality of Montemor-o-Novo, in partnership with the Parish Council of Santiago do Escoural, Oficinas do Convento and MARCA ADL. Technical supervision was provided by CRU Atelier.

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06>08.OCT.2023︎︎︎ II INTEGRAL COOPERATIVES FORUM

Participation in the Second Integral Cooperatives Forum, held in São Luís (Odemira), continuing the collaborative work initiated through the Portuguese Network of Integral Cooperatives.

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13>15.OCT.2023 + 08>10.NOV.2023︎︎︎ OPEN CONSTRUCTION SITE

A series of Open Construction Site workshops introduced participants to timber self-build techniques under the guidance of architect Miguel Magalhães, in partnership with Oficinas do Convento. The workshops combined practical learning with the ongoing rehabilitation of Estação Cooperativa's buildings, inviting volunteers to actively participate in the construction process.

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23.OCT.>03.NOV.2023 ︎︎︎ EARTHEN LEARN&WORK

Estação Cooperativa hosted Earthen Learn&Work, an international training programme in earth construction for students and teachers from Livia College and Raseko (Finland). Led by Tânia Teixeira, Nuno Vasconcelos, Romain Deboulle and Vasco Monteiro, with assistance from Fiona Langlotz, the programme combined theoretical learning with practical workshops focused on sustainable building techniques using earth and other natural materials.

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16.DEC.2023︎︎︎ GENERAL ASSEMBLY + OPEN DAY

The year concluded with the General Assembly, during which members discussed and approved the cooperative's activity plan and budget for the coming year.

The day also included an open community gathering celebrating the completion of the rehabilitation works on the future Terras de Ferro Centre. Around a shared table, neighbours, friends and cooperative members came together to celebrate another important milestone in the collective regeneration of Casa Branca.