Did you know that Braga is also home to Galeries Lafayette? However, their only similarity to the glittering Parisian department store is…the name.
Our Galerias Lafayette are one example of many shopping centres built between the 1980s and 1990s in Braga which, despite being located in central and privileged areas of the city, now need a new look and a deeper understanding of their present and future. With the creation of large shopping centres on the outskirts of the city and changing consumer habits, combined with the economic crises of the last few decades, most of the shops in these centres are now vacant. Although they don’t retain the vitality and dynamism of the period in which they were built, many of these vacant shops represent opportunities to incite new cultural activities in the city. In response to this opportunity, the Shopyard project was born.
The Shopyard project is divided into a series of initiatives that focus on two programme axes – reflection and creation – which will stimulate, debate, and re-imagine possible futures for these shopping centres. The reflection axis will be developed from the end of 2024 and throughout 2025 through a shopping centre tour, three thought assemblies, and an architecture summer school. The creation axis will start with the transformation of a shop in the Santa Cruz shopping centre, which will serve as the headquarters for creative moments through workshops and an open call for my friends.
Curated by Space Transcribers
