Born in Macau, Duarte Castelbranco graduated in Architecture from the Escola Superior de Belas Artes do Porto in 1960, receiving top honors for his project for the Grémio da Lavoura de Abrantes. He furthered his studies in urban planning in Milan and Paris through a Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian scholarship.

Castelbranco’s career combined architectural practice, teaching, and urban planning. Early in his career, he designed residential buildings, factories, and public infrastructure for both private and public clients. In 1964, he joined the Centro de Estudos de Urbanismo e Habitação Engenheiro Duarte Pacheco, becoming its president in 1975. Notably, he contributed to Lisbon’s master plan under Georges Meyer-Heine and participated in pivotal initiatives such as the 1969 "Colóquio sobre a Habitação" and the 1972 group for urban planning legislation.

In 1978, he was invited by the Municipality of Porto to assess the city’s General Urbanization Plan, later spearheading the approved Plano Geral de Urbanização in 1990. He also developed master plans for Covilhã and Ferreira do Alentejo in 1991 and became Director of the Alto Ribatejo Regional Office. As an academic, he taught Urbanology at ESBAP from 1966 and joined the Escola de Belas Artes de Lisboa in 1976, later serving as an Associate Professor at the Universidade Técnica de Lisboa and contributing to the founding of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Urbanistas in 1983.

A lifelong advocate for Abrantes, Castelbranco’s regional contributions included the Monumento a D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, restoration of the Convento de S. Domingos (now Biblioteca Municipal António Botto), and urban renewal projects. His Grémio da Lavoura building, completed in 1961 and later adapted in 2002, exemplifies his enduring architectural legacy, reflecting his deep commitment to both his profession and his hometown.

Digital records in this fonds have not yet been processed.

PT/FAUL/ARQUIVO/DCB

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