Associação Comercial, Agrícola e Industrial de Timor

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The ACAIT building (2018)

The building of the former Associação Comercial, Agrícola e Industrial de Timor (ACAIT, German  Agricultural and Industrial Association Timor ) is located on the corner of Rua 30 de Agosto (to the east, before November 2015 Rua José Maria Marques ) and Avenida Xavier do Amaral (to the south, formerly Avenida Bispo Medeiros ) in East Timor's capital Dili ( Suco Gricenfor ). The government palace of East Timor is in the immediate vicinity . The main entrance of the ACAIT is at Rua 30 de Agosto , house number 2. Until the opening of the new building in Avenida Marginal, the Portuguese embassy in East Timor was located in the building .

background

The ACAIT (ACAIT) was founded on January 3, 1953 with Government Decree No. 1869. It served the upper class as an association of individuals and groups who held leading positions in agriculture, industry, commerce, and the financial sector. Furthermore, the ACAIT should strengthen the Portuguese Timorese economy, protect the interests of the members from the authorities, provide legal support and professional training and offer scholarships for the children of the members. With the Indonesian occupation of East Timor in 1975 , the ACAIT stopped its work.

History and architecture of the building

South side
Along Rua 30 de Agosto

The ACAIT headquarters was inaugurated in April 1964 in the presence of Governor José Alberty Correia .

It is considered an icon of modern architecture in Dili. The building was originally planned at a different location, so its location marks a contrast to the neighboring, representative, neoclassical buildings, which were built to the west according to plans from 1951 and the Casa Europa from the 19th century in the north. There are similarities here with the building of the Banco Nacional Ultramarino in Dili . The buildings rest on columns instead of load-bearing walls, the roofs are flat, canopies and grilles protect the facade from the sun on the most exposed side.

Based on plans by António Sousa Mendes from 1960, the building was designed as a three-story building. The ground floor was to serve as a commercial area, the other floors for offices and other functions such as a bar, game rooms, ballroom, library and private rooms for members. Since they wanted to offer public services, there was the Amadeu Coelho café on the ground floor , which had a terrace facing what was then Avenida Bispo de Medeiros . On the roof there was a hall for receptions and celebrations. Due to the tropical climate, the construction was designed for cross ventilation and the windows were protected against strong sunlight. They were set deeper into the house through balconies and partially covered by a concrete grille. There was a gallery on the ground floor, also to protect passers-by from sun and rain. Due to the modular construction, the slightly higher east-west wing along Rua 30 de Agosto could later be extended. The flatter north-south wing, which was also added at a later date, is set a little away from Avenida Xavier do Amaral .

During the Indonesian occupation, the building was used by the Indonesian administration. The Portuguese embassy was housed in the premises of the former café from 2000 to 2017. There are also branches of the Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) and the Post East Timor and the Câmera de Comércio e Indústria de Timor-Leste (CCI-TL). The ACAIT Bistro , which has existed here since the times of the UN administration , was evicted in 2018 due to disputes over the lease.

Web links

Commons : Associação Comercial, Agrícola e Industrial de Timor  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ República Portuguesa: REPRESENTAÇÕES DIPLOMÁTICAS PORTUGUESAS , accessed on November 6, 2016.
  2. ^ A b c d Dili's Architectural Heritage of Portuguese Origins , p. 117, accessed November 4, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b LUSA: Embaixada de Portugal em Díli funciona em novas instalações a 10 de outubro , October 2, 2017 , accessed on October 2, 2017.
  4. ↑ a b c Património de Influência Portuguesa: Timor Commercial, Agricultural and Industrial Association (ACAIT) , accessed on November 6, 2016.
  5. ↑ a b c Diário de Notícias: Demolição de restaurante no centro de Díli causa polémica sobre propriedade do espaço , December 5, 2018 , accessed on April 20, 2020.
  6. ↑ CCI-TL: Comércio e Indústria de Timor-Leste , accessed on September 9, 2018.

Coordinates: 8 ° 33 ′ 13.4 ″  S , 125 ° 34 ′ 47.6 ″  E