Urbanism and Landscape course, A.Y. 2023-24, prof.

Werther Guidi Nissim, Maria Chiara Pastore,

MSc in Landscape Architecture. Land Landscape with Lucia Ludovici
Heritage
Stud: Ana_Pontes_Group.10

ETAR ALCÂNTARA LISBON, PORTUGAL

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PROFILE IN BRIEF

Geographical 38.72183986214706, As part of the Alcântara Waste-

Coordinates -9.17484026419502 water Treatment Plant (WWTP)
redevelopment project, for reasons
of environmental preservation, it
Type of intervention Environmental upgrading of a wa- was essential to create a roof that
stewater treatment near a railway incorporates the entire monitoring
programme and the necessary
Climatic context Mediterranean climate water treatment services.

Area (ha or sqm) 8,4 ha On a territorial scale, this

landscaped roof, rich in diversity,
Stage of development Finished (all project completed) extends the green slopes of the
Alcântara valley by utilising the
6 years (2005 - 2011)
natural species of Monsanto/
Duration Alcântara, reducing the impact
of the area’s road infrastructures
Private or public area Public area and concealing a huge density of
João Nunes (Landscaper), Manuel technical areas.
Stakeholders involved Aires Mateus, Frederico Valsassina
(architects)
https://www.teknoring.com/news/riqualifica-
Links and references zione-urbana/progetti-di-joao-nunes-il-cen-
tro-di-depurazione-delle-acque-etar/
PROJECT SCOPE
The intervention is developed as a moment of territorial reconfiguration of the morphology of
the Alcântara Valley and as a confrontation between distinct and complementary characters - slope
space/covering space. The reconfiguration is aimed at the construction of a route characterised by
a landscape requalification of the Valley, in an attempt to recover a consistent dialogue between
the two constantly disconnected slopes and the re-establishment of a relationship obstructed by
the cut imposed by the current ETAR (wastewater treatment plant). Further upstream, the cut is
accentuated by the urbanisation and transformation, still in progress, of the slope facing west. We
speak of landscape redevelopment because the intention is to recover continuities that have been
lost, both in terms of visual and ecological systems. The reminiscence of the archetypal morphology
of a valley, the Valley of Alcântara, is reinterpreted by means of the reconstitution of the terrain
underneath the road corridors established at the intermediate altitude of the slope. A topographical
operation therefore shapes the water treatment centre at Alcântara, which is configured as a roof-
garden intended to cover the top of the new purifier, initially designed for agricultural purposes.

URBAN FORESTRY STRATEGIES AND DESIGN FEATURES

The intervention therefore refers back to the sense of place, respecting its vocation and re-
proposing the agricultural parcelling that once characterised the valley’s territory. As well as improving
its landscape setting, the vegetation cover helps to reduce the effects of the heat island, improving
air quality, creating habitats and promoting biodiversity. It also aims to protect the building from
the sun and reduce the emission of gaseous pollutants. This green wall structure is equipped with a
rainwater drainage and run-off system, consisting of perforated drainage pipes placed in trenches
constipated by gravel. The ground is poured and contained by reinforced concrete septums, coated
to ensure waterproofing.

GOVERNANCE MODEL
This subsystem serves a large part of the city of Lisbon, as well as portions of the municipalities
of Amadora and Oeiras, totalling 756,000 inhabitants. It has been dealing with wastewater treatment
since 1989, starting first with primary treatment phases conducted with chlorine, the latter later banned
in 2003. After proper treatment, this water can be returned to the River Tagus in environmentally safe
conditions. With this action, it promotes the establishment of a pedological understory capable of
supporting a sustainable vegetation cover, rich in floristic variety and image, equally decisive for the
stabilisation and consolidation of the slope, its dynamic balance and, consequently, its biological
reactivity and its full integration into the structuring systems - visual, ecological, of the City’s landscape.
On a territorial scale, this garden coverage extends the green slopes of the Alcântara valley, reducing
the impact of road infrastructures in the area.

SHRUB AND TREE SPECIES

Anacardiaceae; Asparagaceae; Asteraceae; Carpifolaceae; Cistaceae; Ericaceae; Fabaceae;
Iridaceae; Lamiaceae; Lauraceae; Myrtaceae; Plantaginaceae; Poaceae; Ranunculaceae; Rosaceae;
Valerinaceae; Lamiaceae; Poaceae; Verbenaceae

KEYWORDS
#Green roofs #Ecosystem strategies #Adaptability #Functional Traits #Native Species #Farming
#City habitats