ABSTRACT
What was the main impact of innovative building technologies and new industrial materials in the architecture of 1930s and 1940s Portugal? The answer to this question is considered to be central for the understanding of Portuguese cultural and technological changes, in a time corresponding to the beginning of the “Estado Novo” régime and to World War 2. In order to give an answer to this key-question, the paper presents the results of an ongoing research regarding the 3rd series of the magazine Arquitectura Portuguesa & Cerâmica e Edificação (Reunidas) [APCER].
The research is focused in technical subjects, by the scrutiny of articles and advertisements displayed in the pages of APCER. Special attention is given to the repeated appraisal of hollow clay blocks for the construction of composite reinforced concrete floors, and in its effect in everyday residential architecture, namely that designed by Portuguese architect Cassiano Branco.
