Raul Pires Ferreira Chaves

Raúl Pires Ferreira Chaves (27 May 1889–August 1967) was a Portuguese civil engineer and inventor. A graduate of the Instituto Superior Técnico of Lisbon. He lived and primarily worked in Portugal, Portuguese Cape Verde and Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau).

He invented and patented the "Sistema e material MURUS", a precursor to modern construction systems based on modular blocks, and a contribution to the evolution of the concept of prefabrication. He utilised these materials in many of his construction projects.

Biography

Raúl Pires Ferreira Chaves was born in the city of Faro, Portugal. He was the son of Joaquim Manuel Ferreira Chaves and Maria Antónia Pires Ferreira Chaves. His brothers were Olímpio Ferreira Chaves and João Carlos Pires Ferreira Chaves, his sister was Maria Alexandrina Pires Ferreira Chaves. He was later married to Elvira da Conceição Ribeiro Ferreira Chaves and had four sons.

In 1915, he moved to Cape Verde. He lived in the island of Maio and Santo Antão until 1926. He also lived with his first three sons.

From 1926 to 1932, he was director of public works in Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau). He returned to Portuguese Guinea in 1940 and added a factory which made MURUS material system at at great scale. He was also president of the Industrial, Commercial and Agricultural Association of Portuguese Guinea. When he was president, he did architectural works mainly in Bissau including the Bissau Chamber of Commerce completed in 1958.

He attended the São Vicente Lyceum in Portugal.[1]

He was Director of Public Works in Cape Verde. He executed various projects to improve habitability and contributed to the development of the archipelago, including the discovery and exploitation of fresh water in submarine sources on the Ilha do Sal.

Also on the island, one of the buildings and plans he designed was the Sal International Airport (now Amílcar Cabral International Airport and Farol da Ponta Norte in the north of the island with its second tower built in 1941.[2] Outside the island, he made an obelisk and an urban plan at Praça 5 do Outubro in the city of Praia.

With the same material project, he constructed different infrastructures including houses, aqueducts, irrigation canals, cisters and bridges. The Portuguese State processed the "MURUS Material System" for use in public work projects, in Cape Verde, in favor of more expensive solutions.

Positions held

Published works

References

  1. ↑ Professores do Liceu Infante D. Henrique, Mindelo: 1930-1931 Photo at its Cultural Magazine
  2. ↑ Act of Session on the Art Council of Public Works in the Colony of Cape Verde, 28 December 1938

Sources

Journals

Reviews

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