Arquivo Digital do Jardim

Memorandum of expenses on gardening work to be carried out

Memorandum (p.3 of the document) on measures for the conservation and maintenance of the plant cover of Santa Gertrudes Park as preparation for the installation of the headquarters and museum of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The tree survey and phytosanitary assessment is attached to this document. 

According to Azevedo Coutinho, 80% of the tree cover was usable, consisting predominantly of deciduous trees.

Within the tree cover, a group of Platanus orientalis stands out for its importance and growth. Among the evergreens were several large Eucalyptus globulus, referred to “as worthy of being considered of public interest (…) existing in the vicinity of the lookout over the lake.”

To some extent this evaluation indirectly guided the location of future buildings, since it considered the tree cover as the basis of the plant system of the future garden and some areas of vegetation and some trees as untouchable. Azevedo Coutinho also considered that it was fundamental to start the continuous maintenance, conservation, and improvement of the tree cover. He also suggested initiating a series of urgent safeguard measures between 1 April and 31 December 1958.

“For this to happen, it was necessary to:

(…)

1.º Find temporary facilities for tools and personnel;

2º Acquire tools and other materials;

3º Appoint personnel (one garden master, two gardeners and eight workers);

4º Collaborate with official services (Lisbon City Hall and firefighters to remove dry branches);

5º Take out staff insurance;

6º Acquire current consumer materials;

7º Establish a temporary irrigation system;

8º Find private transport;

9º Carry out a detailed topographic survey of the most important arboreal species and delimit areas where the organization and work orientation would be referenced”s [i].

(…)

[i] For the development of these actions, Azevedo Coutinho foresaw a total cost of 530,200 PTE for personnel and material.

 

• Production date: 10/03/1958
• Designers (main authors): COUTINHO, Azevedo, LOBATO, Luís Maria Nolasco de Guimarães
• Contributors (co-authors): FCG – Serviço de Projectos e Obras
• Project phase: Do concurso ao anteprojeto
• Identifier: PT FCG FCG:SPO-S012/03/01/02-D01154

In order to consult the original version of this document you should contact the Gulbenkian Archives by e-mail [email protected] and refer the document´s ID