- Reference: UID/PRR2/04008/2025
- Project Start Date: 2025-01-01
- Project End Date: 2026-06-30
- Funding: 271.578,25 €
Promoting Institutions:
- Universidade de Lisboa Faculdade de Arquitectura (FA)
- Universidade Portucalense Infante Dom Henrique (UPT)
- COFAC, Cooperativa de Formação e Animação Cultural, CRL (COFAC)
- Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (IPVC)
- Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco (IPCB)
- Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI)
Project Description:
The project will strengthen the scientific infrastructure of the Research Centre for Architecture, Urbanism and Design (CIAUD) by equipping its decentralised research network for the 2025–2029 strategic period. Through investments in advanced digital documentation, immersive technologies, environmental monitoring, high-performance computing, and prototyping equipment, the project will enhance collaborative research across CIAUD’s branches. The proposed infrastructure will support interdisciplinary research in architecture, urbanism, design, cultural heritage, environmental sustainability, and digital transformation, enabling innovative methodologies for documentation, analysis, simulation, co-creation, and dissemination.
Objectives
The project aims to establish a technologically advanced and interconnected research infrastructure that strengthens CIAUD’s distributed research model.
At CIAUD-UPT, the acquisitions will support high-quality documentation of cultural heritage and landscapes through professional imaging, photogrammetry, 360° capture and drone-based modelling; immersive visualisation and participatory research through virtual reality technologies; environmental and building performance assessment using thermal, acoustic, meteorological, and climate-monitoring equipment; advanced spatial analysis and digital modelling through dedicated high-performance computing; and rapid prototyping and scientific dissemination through laser engraving, large-format printing, and professional visualisation systems. The infrastructure will directly support the implementation and expansion of strategic research initiatives, including Ressonâncias, ArchiSpace, and the proposed HOST COST Action, while fostering collaboration between CIAUD’s geographically distributed hubs and strengthening partnerships with local communities, public authorities, cultural institutions, and industry.
Expected Outcomes
The project will enhance CIAUD’s scientific excellence by increasing its capacity to undertake internationally competitive, interdisciplinary research supported by state-of-the-art digital infrastructure. The new equipment will improve the quality and efficiency of data acquisition, spatial analysis, environmental monitoring, digital modelling, and scientific visualisation, leading to higher-quality research outputs, increased participation in European collaborative projects, and stronger international visibility.
More broadly, the project will reinforce CIAUD’s decentralised research strategy by improving collaboration between hubs, facilitating shared access to advanced technologies, supporting researcher training and postgraduate education, expanding community engagement through immersive and participatory methodologies, and accelerating knowledge transfer to society through digital dissemination, exhibitions, workshops, and collaborations with cultural, governmental, and industrial stakeholders. These outcomes will contribute directly to CIAUD’s strategic objectives of promoting scientific excellence, digital transformation, territorial cohesion, open science, and sustainable innovation in Architecture, Urbanism, and Design.
For the CIAUD-UPT branch, the infrastructure will support innovative methodologies in digital heritage documentation, immersive architectural representation, environmental performance analysis, and participatory design. It will enable researchers to produce accurate three-dimensional models, virtual environments, environmental datasets, audiovisual archives, and physical prototypes that strengthen both scientific production and societal impact.
Software Acquired by CIAUD-UPT: Agisoft Metashape Professional Edition
Project implemented under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) – a nationally implemented program, with an execution period until 2026, which aims to implement a set of reforms and investments designed to restore sustained economic growth after the pandemic, reinforcing the objective of convergence with Europe over the next decade. For further information, please consult: https://recuperarportugal.gov.pt.
