Craft Lab - Casas e Lugares do Sentir

The Casas e Lugares do Sentir network comprises 14 thematic houses spread across different parishes of Fundão Municipality. Serving as cultural, tourist, social and educational landmarks, these houses honour local knowledge and traditions, ensuring the preservation of unique customs and habits. The project acts as a unifying force, integrating existing physical spaces with new ones to provide a dynamic and interactive platform for community engagement. It reinforces Fundão's designation as a Child-Friendly City through its connection with the Escola-Aldeia, or School-Village, project, dedicated to transmitting locally based and traditional knowledge. 

As well as establishing each thematic house, the network has promoted community involvement in preservation efforts, and increased tourism and cultural awareness. Activities such as workshops, cultural events and educational programmes contribute to the project's success. Outputs include enhanced cultural preservation, increased tourism revenue and strengthened community ties. 

Ongoing needs include sustainable funding, community participation, and continued efforts to promote cultural heritage. Among possible improvements, Fundão suggests expanding educational programmes, fostering international partnerships, and enhancing accessibility for all community members. 

This project was one of the finalists in the 2023 New European Bauhaus Awards, promoted by the European Commission, under the category Reviving the Sense of Belonging. 

This network integrates environmental, economic and social dimensions to address urban challenges holistically. It focuses on conserving and preserving the territory's material and immaterial heritage by involving the local community, thereby positively impacting their lives.

The project conserves the environment by repurposing old buildings such as parish centres and primary schools, keeping them in active use. It promotes sustainable practices, like developing a 3D printer that uses clay instead of plastic filaments, encouraging the use of eco-friendly materials and processes.

The initiative fosters economic development by uniting stakeholders, including FabLab Aldeias do Xisto, which introduces innovation through digital technologies. By applying new processes to traditional crafts, it creates contemporary, marketable objects, attracting new demand and boosting the local economy. 

The project strengthens social cohesion by bridging generational gaps. It promotes sharing knowledge between older and younger generations, fostering community and cultural identity. Educational programmes focused on arts and crafts enhance skill development, cultural identity and social inclusion.

The project unites diverse actors and knowledge areas, including history, ethnography, craft, design, traditional arts, digital fabrication, ecology and audiovisual technology. This collaboration creates goods and services that preserve cultural heritage while attracting new interest and demand. 

Several aspects of the Craft Lab - Casas e Lugares do Sentir project highlight its participatory approach, for example:

• Partnership with UNESCO -The project originated from a protocol between the Municipality of Fundão and UNESCO, demonstrating a commitment to international cooperation and adherence to UNESCO's values.
• Involvement of multiple stakeholders - Key stakeholders include: Parish Councils; Fundão School Group and Gardunha and Xisto School Group; FabLab Aldeias do Xisto; ADXTUR - Schist Villages Tourism Development Agency; FabLabs Portugal - Portuguese Association of Digital Fabrication Laboratories; and CEARTE - Professional Training Centre for Crafts and Heritage. This diverse mix ensures a wide range of perspectives and expertise are incorporated into the project.
• Collaborative design process - The initiative was co-designed with UNESCO, indicating a collaborative approach to project development. Stakeholders from various sectors and levels actively participated in shaping the project's goals and strategies.
• Holistic and inclusive approach - The involvement of stakeholders from different sectors, such as education, tourism and heritage, ensures a comprehensive approach to addressing various aspects of the project's objectives. This inclusivity enhances the project's relevance and effectiveness. 

The impact of the Craft Lab - Casas e Lugares do Sentir initiative at the local level has been substantial. Here are some highlights:

• Since 2017, thousands of people, including over 35 000 children and young people, have visited the Casas e Lugares do Sentir network. This indicates a significant increase in cultural and educational opportunities for local residents and visitors.
• The creation of the Educational Visits Network of the Municipality of Fundão, supported by local authorities and other partners, has strengthened Fundão’s designation as a Child-Friendly City. Programmes such as the School-Village initiative have provided integral training and knowledge transmission, bridging generations and empowering more people to live in rural areas.
• Activities within the primary school curriculum, such as those related to shepherding, cheese-making, pottery and weaving, have engaged over 200 students. These activities enrich students' learning experiences by connecting them with local traditions and skills.
• Over 300 hours of certified pottery training, 20 pottery workshops, 6 basketry workshops, and numerous pottery and basketry ateliers have been conducted. This demonstrates a significant investment in skill development and cultural preservation.
• Fundão's integration into the UNESCO Learning Cities Network in February 2024 highlights the recognition of these efforts in championing lifelong learning and intergenerational knowledge-sharing. 

There is significant potential to adapt this practice to other rural city contexts. It is a replicable model that European cities can use to preserve heritage, enhance cultural identity and foster sustainable development. 

It helps address challenges such as declining traditional skills and knowledge by facilitating intergenerational knowledge transfer and preserving local traditions. Across Fundao’s 23 parishes, with 26 509 inhabitants many of whom are over 65, the network supports strategic renewal, integrating the territory’s ecology, culture and heritage. 

The project aligns with UNESCO values of identity, sociability, civic participation, solidarity and multicultural inclusion. It contributes to Sustainable Development Goals, through cultural heritage, fostering social cohesion and enhancing regional identity. It supports the Urban and EU Territorial Agenda through sustainable growth, social inclusion and cultural innovation. In addition, by repurposing former primary schools as cultural centres, the project reinforces community regeneration and future growth. 

Replicating Casas e Lugares do Sentir and its associated initiatives will require sensitivity to local norms. Thorough research and engagement with communities are vital to tailor the project to each context, fostering local ownership and alignment with community needs.

For successful transfer, active engagement with local communities, stakeholders and relevant organisations is vital to understand their perspectives and expectations. This encourages local participation in project decision-making, implementation and ongoing maintenance.

Fundao’s network has so far inspired ‘Rota do Saber Fazer na Terra Transmontana’ in northern Portugal, promoted by the Association of Municipalities of Terra Quente Transmontana (AMTQT). This project was launched in 2020 to boost the region’s economy through Experiential Tourism, creating traditional knowledge workshops associated with crafts and agriculture.