Traditional patio roof collapses, Cultural Affairs Bureau fails to act on time

Identified as representative of a unique style and demonstrating a system based on collectivism, patios, the Chinese courtyard-style housing blocks, are one of the dominant architectural forms of Macau.
Patios were once extremely common in the Inner Harbor area, situated close to historical landmarks along with St. Lawrence Church, the A-Ma Temple, Lilau Square, and the Mandarin House. In spite of plans which were previously
announced by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) to protect and restore the patios, many of them are in a decrepit state. A key example of this is “Pátio da Ilusao” [Illusion Patio], whose roof fell off last month when strong winds and rain caused by typhoon Mujigae ravaged the city. Since the rooftop fell close to residential buildings, nothing more was done than attach a red-and-white tape to isolate and indicate the debris caused by the accident.
After being contacted by the Times, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) stated that after having obtained knowledge of the collapse, they “immediately moved to the location together with the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) to acknowledge the situation.”
“IC gives a lot of relevance to the protection of the patios and alleys and has consistently devoted efforts to their promotion and protection, including ‘Pátio da Ilusão,” the IC stated in a reply to the Times, hinting that the responsibility for what happened may ultimately rest on the owners: “According to the law, the building’s owners have the duties of maintaining and repairing the buildings they own.” The bureau, headed by Ung Vai Meng, promised to “maintain close communication with the owners, urging them to fulfill these duties and providing the necessary support when needed.”
The reply is very similar to the one given in October 2011 regarding “Pátio das Seis Casas” [Six Houses Patio], a larger patio that stands beside “Pátio da Ilusão” that was also in a very dilapidated state, even though people are still living there. In 2011, IC said that it was “paying attention to the problem” and had scheduled a meeting with the owner. “At the very least, the IC will provide for the building’s security. We will analyze aspects that have to do with the revitalization and general planning of the building,” the IC stated at the time, adding that the patio could be included in proposed touristic routes. But meanwhile, little more than cleaning the front area was done at “Pátio das Seis Casas.”
In order to learn more about these patios and their importance, the Times spoke with architects Francisco Vizeu Pinheiro and Nuno Soares, who have been studying local traditional buildings and fighting for their protection.
According to Mr Soares, the “patios” are very important and need to be preserved:  “They represent a unique kind of typology, a semi-public kind, which was very popular especially in the Inner Harbor area in the 19th and 20th centuries,” he explained. “This kind of system was once the standard in many areas of the city and it is especially important to talk about them because this kind of typology is not protected yet”.
In Soares’ opinion, the patio that is more representative of the style and has been preserved in a much better way is the “Pátio da Claridade,” although he thinks that “the patrimonial value of the ‘patios’ is the value of the system they represent so it is urgent to preserve them all as a system.”
According to him, “The ‘patios’ should be urgently added to Macau’s heritage list and, as best as possible, be used as per their original housing-related functions. This is a very rich typology that can work as clusters to the development of the areas in which they are still located because they are part of the collective memory of Macau and they are needed to preserve that memory too”.
Vizeu Pinheiro shares most of the opinions held by his colleague, stating that “to protect the ‘patios’ we need first to classify them, as we should recognize that the absence of that classification is the focal point of the problem”.
“The original classification list is more than ten years old now and has become a static document, and we urge  to make it a dynamic kind of document with reevaluations and classifications of new buildings and areas”, Mr Pinheiro stated. In his opinion, Macau should follow the examples of cities like Shanghai that constantly make new additions to their heritage list.
Vizeu Pinheiro says that the patios “are definitely part of the culture and urban tradition of Macau” and the remains opposed to the way in which the IC is working on heritage classification on a “case by case” basis, leading to a narrowing view on heritage issues that dislocate buildings from their  location and local relevance. This leads to the listing and preservation of some valuable buildings while “forgetting others.”
He gives the example of Lilau Square that was rehabilitated because it was considered the most emblematic site, while others in the very same area were forgotten and replaced by newer buildings with no reference to those that occupied the spot previously.
According to Mr Pinheiro, citing the new Cultural Heritage Protection Law, “the heritage is from all citizens” and so their thoughts should be vocalized and heard in the classification and preservation process.
“It is important that all sectors’ voices are heard and involved in this whole process,” he said. He also noted some peculiarities in the fact that IC allegedly gives preference to Hong Kong Institutions to classify and catalogue Macau’s heritage instead of giving the power to local people who know the ground in a much more in-depth way.
“This should be discussed with local academia and academics, as we have excellent professionals and experienced people at both the University of Macau and in the University of Saint Joseph that can help to do this job,” Mr Pinheiro said.
The Times visited several patios when preparing this report, witnessing that the degradation is clear and that there is also a level of danger, with some buildings giving clear signs of exhaustion and pre-collapse onto which no red-­and-white striped tape can hold much longer.