La Fundación Iberdrola España completes the new lighting of Lisbon City Hall
- Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas and Jaime Alfonsín, Chairman of Fundación Iberdrola España, have inaugurated a project that combines innovative technology and energy efficiency with the preservation of one of the Portuguese capital’s most emblematic buildings.
- The initiative forms part of the programmes promoted by the company to enhance historical heritage in Spain and Portugal and help create opportunities in local communities.
Fundación Iberdrola España has completed the new lighting of the main façade of Lisbon City Hall, a project conducted in collaboration with the city council of the Portuguese capital. The project enhances one of the city’s most emblematic buildings, bringing renewed prominence to one of its most representative civic spaces and highlighting the balcony of the Paços do Concelho, from which the Portuguese Republic was proclaimed on 5 October 1910.
The new lighting, inaugurated by Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas and Jaime Alfonsín, Chairman of Fundación Iberdrola España, forms part of Iberdrola’s 125th anniversary celebrations and reflects a shared commitment to preserving heritage through innovative solutions that combine sustainability and energy efficiency.
A project in harmony with its surroundings
The lighting project on the exterior of City Hall combines innovative technology with a design conceived to respect the building’s historical and architectural significance. A total of forty floodlights and sixty-seven meters of LED strips have been installed on the main façade, with a total power of 3,060 W, creating an elegant night-time appearance that is in keeping with the building’s institutional character. The lighting design also provides the flexibility required to adapt to celebrations and unique events through distinct colors and lighting effects.
Although the project has focused on the main façade, located at the eastern end of Praça do Município, lighting elements have also been installed on nearby buildings. The neoclassical Paços do Concelho is a municipal heritage building and forms part of the protected areas of Baixa Pombalina and São Jorge Castle. The project was therefore conducted in accordance with reversibility criteria, ensuring that the installation can be removed in the future without affecting the original structures. The equipment has also been discreetly integrated to minimize its visual impact.
A driver of local development
The project forms part of Fundación Iberdrola España’s Lighting Programme, which has helped enhance seventy monuments through an investment of €3 million. The institution also promotes other cross-border programmes on the Iberian Peninsula, including the Atlantic Romanesque Plan and the ILUMINA Project, aimed at preserving historical and artistic heritage while generating opportunities in the communities where they are implemented.
The former, launched in 2010 with funding of €4.5 million, has enabled the restoration of thirty churches in the Spanish provinces of Zamora and Salamanca and in the Portuguese regions of Porto, Vila Real and Bragança. The latter has a budget of approximately €2.7 million for the architectural lighting of castles, chapels, and churches in Extremadura and Alentejo.
Jaime Alfonsín, Chairman of Fundación Iberdrola España:
“The new lighting of Lisbon City Hall reflects our commitment to preserving historical heritage through innovative and sustainable solutions. We want to help ensure that emblematic buildings such as this continue to serve as cultural landmarks and meeting places for present and future generations.”
“This project embodies the values that have guided Iberdrola throughout its 125-year history: innovation, sustainability, and commitment to the communities in which we operate. Preserving our heritage is also a way of promoting the social and economic development of our communities. Portugal has an essential place in Iberdrola’s history and future. With this project, we are strengthening our commitment to the country,” he said during the event.