1994 | MILITARY CLUB

CONCEPT
The building of Clube Militar – the former Grémio Militar – is nowadays one of the most outstanding in the context of Macau’s heritage-classified buildings, not only because of the past and present socio-cultural roles played by the Club near the Portuguese and Macanese communities, but also by reason of its central and easy-accessible location and lastly, but not least, for its original colonial architectural design.

In view of this ambitious project, and after abandoning the idea of any conservation or restoration works, there was no other alternative but to bring the whole building down – except for the Club’s symbol: its noble façade.

Everything challenged us to reconstructed an imaginary that would translate the unforgettable impressions recorded seventeen years ago, when we visited for the first times, as well as those gathered through the collective memory, both in its written and spoken forms, by restoring that feeling of spatial and ambience splendour that lingered in our memory through the years. This was done by resorting to the pre-existing themes in the façades and remaining external motifs that were transposed to the inside of the building as, for instance, in the case of the columns and verandah doors’ frames, now reproduced in the interior ballroom doors.