The decrepit Hotel Estoril
The government’s plan to revamp the abandoned Hotel Estoril into a youth recreational and art center has received various opinions from students and the education sector. At a briefing session held yesterday for educational associations and school leaders, officials stressed that the building’s space is necessarily limited and thus hard choices need to be made in order for it to accommodate various functions.
The Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Lai Ieng Kit, introduced the preliminary blueprint and indicated that the revamp won’t be restricted to the 2,352-square-meter hotel itself, but will involve reallocating the nearby facilities for better utilization in order to regenerate the entire area.
“Since its business closed up in the 1990s, the Hotel Estoril has been disused for twenty years. It’s located in a great location surrounded by many [examples of] southern European style architecture and has a rich cultural atmosphere. Building it into a youth activity center will integrate the nearby cultural, educational and sports facilities into a large zone,” said Lai, adding that the planning also aims to generate a synergistic effect with several tourism attractions around the area.
Amongst a wide range of functions suggested for the future multi-activity complex, the government has prioritized building several facilities; namely a performing hall, venue for the conservatory, rehearsal spaces for performing arts, an indoor swimming pool, a youth information service station, as well as a parking lot.
“It’ll be the best if it can also include a indoor ice-skating rink, a café and an exhibition venue. If the condition allows, we can have a tourist inquiry counter, souvenir shop, outdoor stage and a lounge,” Lai added.
The official said the new height of the complex after revamp would be similar to the current one and not exceeding 29.4 to 38.7 meters, in order to ensure a clear view across the side of the Guia Hill with the city’s signature lighthouse in sight. “As the height is restricted, the available space we can use will be limited,” he indicated.
“Since the space will be for young people, the design should be dedicated to them, rather than saying it’s also for residents and the elderly to use,” suggests the head of the Escola São João De Brito and Caritas Secretary General Paul Pun, adding that the new facility could accommodate a youth hostel.
A staff member from a local college also suggested that the center’s design should reserve space for users’ own ideas with open use areas. “Adolescents like to express themselves spontaneously; if everything is well planned beforehand, there will be many frames for them, then the center may be used freely by the youths,” she suggested.
The briefing session attracted dozens of leaders from the educational community, and opposing views were expressed. Regarding whether to retain the hotel’s façade intact with its mural of a female figure preserved, Paul Pun suggested that it would not fit the theme of adolescents.
On the other hand, teacher and former lawmaker Paul Chan Chi Wai stated that the Cultural Affairs Bureau should provide information about the building’s history and decide if it’s worth preserving its façade.
“The Hotel Estoril was once a very significant hotel facility before the Hotel Lisboa was built up. Its mural was a symbol of the pursuit of freedom and leisure; it represented Macau’s then epoch-making tourism facilities,” explained the Cultural Affairs Bureau’s acting vice-president, Chan Peng Fai.
conservatory to have new usage
The School of Music under the Macao Conservatory is expected to be located at the revamped Estoril Hotel, Chan Peng Fai revealed. The school’s existing site would be turned into a promotional venue for local cultural and creative products, he said.
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