Construction began on the Quarteira Municipal Market last Friday, on August 8. Valued at €20.5 million, funded entirely with public money, the project is the most substantial investment by the Loulé City Council to date.
“It will be a beautiful piece of architecture that will fill your hearts with joy! You’ll be able to come and shop, meet vendors you’ve known your whole life, fishermen will be here, young people will have exhibition spaces to showcase their creativity, and this will be a hygienic space with easy entry and exit,” said Vítor Aleixo, Mayor of Loulé at the project’s consignment signing ceremony.
With a footprint of 16,000 m2, the project features “very bold construction solutions, particularly in the containment area”, as there will be two floors below ground level due to its proximity to the sea, explained José Joaquim Silva of Ferreira – Construção S.A.
This was, in fact, one of the first public works projects in Portugal to address climate change, with a study on sea level rise over the next 100 years led by specialist Carlos Antunes.
Once the project was finalised, some adjustments were necessary, such as raising the threshold height, introducing floodgates, and distributing parking spaces across two floors, “which required a very special and costly construction technique”, noted the Mayor.
The market will be constructed on two floors underground and two floors above ground, featuring a wooden roof and moulded retaining walls. It will include a parking lot with 269 spaces, 48 fruit, vegetable, and fish stalls, a food court with 10 food stations, 14 shops and kiosks, an event space, offices, a coworking area, and a community space.
Pedro Campos Costa, architect and author of the project to redevelop the coastal area between Quarteira and Vilamoura, said that “more than a building, this project represents the creation of a large public space, reflecting the long tradition of markets. It will be a meeting place that will also connect the cities of Quarteira and Vilamoura, two locations with great synergy”.
Despite the projected 1,275 days (almost three and a half years) for completion, Vítor Aleixo said the aim is “to build this market with quality and meet deadlines.” However, he warns of possible disruptions during this period, but “it will be worth it in the end.”
For his part, Telmo Pinto, president of the Quarteira Parish Council and the main contact with the design team, said that over the years, the construction of the market has been a sort of “urban myth”. However, from today onwards, it will become a reality. “It’s rewarding to reach this point and realise we’ll have the building we’ve always dreamed of. Quarteira is renowned in the fishing industry, but current conditions do not truly honour or showcase what we have and what we represent to the entire community and the country. Public projects often need to focus on their quality to stand out”, said the Quarteira official.
During this initial phase, the project will involve demolishing some old, dilapidated houses to make way for a parking lot. The building will then be constructed in the area currently occupied by the volleyball arenas, which will be relocated to Passeio das Dunas. The final phase will see the renovation of Largo das Cortes Reais, where the market is presently located.
