Credit: CIP/CJP
The Kadoorie Mekor Haim Synagogue in Porto was built in stages, with construction starting in 1929 and finishing in 1938. The temple is the largest synagogue in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the largest in Europe. While inaugurated in 1938, it later suffered decades of neglect and disrepair. Only recent multimillion-dollar rehabilitation efforts have restored the building to its present impeccable condition.
At the moment the building is being rehabilitated again, with the windows as the main target. Replacing windows in a century-old religious temple typically is the last resort.
Exact replicas were required. Credit: CIP/CJP
Complete replacement was necessary as the original features are beyond practical repair and pose immediate safety risks. If the metal framework has severely disintegrated causing the glass to bulge, sag, or shatter. Rotting wood has compromised the fundamental structure of the frames.
As the historic glass is broken, as micro-chemical corrosion has permanently degraded the glass itself, as the windows pose a threat of falling inward, and they lack structural integrity against extreme local weather, replacement panels - exact replicas - were required. The work will be completed this month of july.
