Some new monuments in ancient Portugal! 

Lisbon’s Oriente rail station, which opened for the World Exposition in 1998, is adorned with art, on an oceanic theme, by international artists from five continents.

The city of  Ilhavo, on Portugal’s central coast, recently refurbished its Maritime Museum, which celebrates the town’s sea-faring culture. The result was a dramatically modern building of white and black stone.

In the southern Portugal city of Sines, a new cultural center using an impressive austere design now stands at the edge of the city’s historic district, which also features a medieval castle.

In the Azores, on the island of Sao Miquel, the University of the Azores is becoming the site of modern experimentation in architecture.  The growing campus there is becoming a showcase of the work of young architects.

In Porto, the relatively new National Contemporary Art Museum helped spur the city’s transformation from a fine wine-producing city to a center of contemporary art and architecture. Numerous galleries now populate the Rua Miguel Bombarda in the city center. In the Foz do Douro area, where the Douro River flows into the Atlantic, is becoming a fashion and design Mecca. The man restaurants and discos along the city’s riverfront are designed by young Portuguese architects.

 Porto’s Casa da Musica (House of Music) is a major performance space designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. Finished in 2005, the new venue has become an icon. Casa da Musica’s design has been proclaimed "the most attractive project the architect Rem Koolhaas has ever built" by Nicolai Ouroussoff of the New York Times.  Others call it themost important concert hall built in the last 100 years.

More information:

www.casadamusica.com

  Casa da Musica (House of Music) is a major performance space designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. Finished in 2005, the new venue has become an icon. Casa da Musica’s design has been proclaimed "the most attractive project the architect Rem Koolhaas has ever built" by Nicolai Ouroussoff of the New York Times.  Others call it themost important concert hall built in the last 100 years.Casa da Musica (House of Music) is a major performance space designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. Finished in 2005, the new venue has become an icon. Casa da Musica’s design has been proclaimed "the most attractive project the architect Rem Koolhaas has ever built" by Nicolai Ouroussoff of the New York Times.  Others call it themost important concert hall built in the last 100 years.