Co-organised with the Associação Portuguesa dos Arquivos Históricos Privados, this Round Table took place on 26 June, with the participation of José Manuel Fernandes, Professor of Architectural History, João Paulo Martins, Professor at the Faculdade de Arquitetura da Universidade de Lisboa, and João Paulo Velez, Communications Director of Expo-98.
In this space for debate, reflections were shared on how the two great exhibitions of the 20th century — in 1940 and 1998 — served as starting points for the reconfiguration and expansion of the city to the west and the east. Beginning with an analysis of the Exposição de 1940, which was the great 20th-century showcase of the Portuguese Empire held on the western side of the city, a parallel was drawn with Expo-98, which stretched along the eastern side of the city, guided by the theme of the Oceans and the projection of Portugal.
The common and opposing elements were analysed, affirming the former as an internal exhibition for the Portuguese world, while the latter was a showcase open to the world, where a complete, balanced urban centre with a sense of the future was defined. The first exhibition focused on monumentality; the second turned towards modernity. In both cases, the contribution of architects, engineers, and designers was fundamental, and the redevelopment of the territories involved had a significant impact on the city’s development.
