Sporting Club Cinema and Sports Pavilion

Kuíto/Cuíto [Silva Porto/Belmonte], Bié, Angola

Equipment and Infrastructures

In the same block where the old 1930s cinema was built, in the 1960s the Sports Pavilion of the Sporting Club was constructed to a much more modern design. The use of concrete resulted in more creative façades and bolder outlines emphasized by contrasting colours. The traditional roofs were replaced by flat roofs and terraces similar to those in Luanda; however, this proved a problematic solution in this part of the country due to the heavy rains and, in dry weather, significant daily temperature swings. The most notable example was the six-storey building in front of the cinema in Avenue Governador Freitas Morna which was rebuilt after the civil war. The cinema follows the Art Deco style of the 1930s whereas the pavilion used structural concrete in a sculptural effect with curved pillars which could almost be described as kitsch.

• José Manuel Fernandes
• Maria da Conceição Neto