Heritage on the Move
Heritage on the Move reimagines Lorchas Station as a culture-led transit hub prototype along Rua das Lorchas in Macao’s historic Porto Interior, part of the proposed West Line of the Macao Light Rapid Transit (LRT). More than a transit node, the station anchors civic life—celebrating identity, enhancing connectivity, and building resilience.
Once Macao’s maritime and industrial heart, Porto Interior enabled the exchange between East and West. Rua das Lorchas—named after 16th-century lorchas, hybrid vessels with Chinese batten sails and European hulls—embodies this legacy of cultural fusion. Yet today, the area remains fragmented and underutilised.
This project positions Lorchas Station as a catalyst for inclusive regeneration, offering a flood-resilient, welcoming public space for residents, cross-border workers, and tourists alike. Signage totems, public terraces, and universally accessible concourses reconnect the city to its harbour, encouraging vibrant, year-round civic life.
Architecturally, the design draws inspiration from Macao’s layered identity, merging the forms of lorcha sails, Art Deco geometries, and Chinese-Portuguese motifs. A terraced embankment echoes the motion of waves while buffering against rising seas, transforming the waterfront into a civic promenade. Local materials and expressive forms ground the station in memory and place.
Rather than preserving history in stasis, Heritage on the Move activates the past as a foundation for a shared future. Lorchas Station becomes a place where culture, mobility, and resilience converge—redefining infrastructure as a civic journey.
