Helen Liang Orphanage
梁文燕培幼院
Copyright © Cultural Mapping 2020
Helen Liang Orphanage is an independent building with three floors: ground floor, first floor and terrace. It is located in Rua da Praia Grande. In 2015, to meet the needs of society and family, Diocese of Macao transformed the Helen Liang Orphanage into a crèche to continue the mission of early childhood education. Currently, the Helen Liang Orphanage became the Crèche Diocesana Helen Liang.
Helen Liang Orphanage is a vibrant and delicate work. The building was designed by famous architect Manuel Vicente in 1963-1964, which was influenced by modernism design. The building, like a monastery built around a square patio, has its spatial limits defined by the surrounding streets. The interior space constitutes a subtle and serene cloister, with an elaborate bell-tower, between trees and the playground. The white wall body and horizontal simple geometric form, together with the red brick at the tower and the ground floor, add a traditional sense to the simple modernist building. The exposed concrete structure and the modern shutters of the facade inject regional features into modern architecture.
By the time Manuel Vicente designed the Helen Liang orphanage, the verticalization of Macao was already evident, mainly due to the growing fixed population and the small territory. The Helen Liang Orphanage is an example of how the simple implantation of a building can represent reminiscences of an architectural culture native to the author, to some extent removing any "pastiche" formalism that could be associated with Chinese or Portuguese vernacular architecture, both in terms to detail.
The value of the orphanage lies in the ability of taking care of children for a long time, providing a comfortable and safe environment for orphans, children from broken families, abused children and abandoned children, so that their physical and mental development can be encouraged. It can be said that Helen Liang Orphanage has contributed to the social services in Macao. Without the participation of the organization, Macao's charity and social services could not develop to the current situation and meet the needs of the society.
梁文燕培幼院是一棟獨立的建築物，分為三層：地下，一樓和露台。它位於澳門燒灰爐街。 在2015年，為滿足社會和家庭的需求，澳門教區將梁文燕培幼院轉變為托兒所，以繼續開展幼兒教育的使命。目前，梁文燕培幼院已改建成為梁文燕托兒所‧親子館。
梁文燕培幼院是一個充滿活力和精緻的作品。該建築是由著名建築師曼努埃爾‧維森特（Manuel Vicente）在1963-1964年設計的。明顯受到了現代主義設計的影響，這座建築就像一座修道院，圍繞著一個方形露台而建，其空間範圍由周圍的街道所界定。其內部空間，在樹木與操場之間有一個精緻的小教堂塔樓，構成了一個微妙而寧靜的“常規迴廊”。白色的牆身和水平簡單的幾何形狀，以及外牆紅磚的塔樓及地面層牆面，為這棟簡單的現代主義建築增添了傳統氣息。外露的混凝土結構和立面的現代百葉窗為現代建築注入了區域特色。
曼努埃爾·維森特（Manuel Vicente）在設計梁文燕培幼院時，澳門建築垂直化已經很明顯，這主要是由於固定人口的增長和土地的狹小。梁文燕培幼院是一個簡單的例子，說明建築師如何簡單地把其本國建築文化的回憶植入建築物當中。在某種程度上，消除了任何可能與中國或葡萄牙本土建築相關形式主義的詳細。
該孤兒院的價值在於可以長期照顧兒童，為孤兒、家庭破裂的兒童、受虐待的兒童和被遺棄的兒童提供舒適安全的環境，以平衡他們的身心發展。可以說，梁文燕培幼院為澳門的社會服務做出了貢獻。沒有組織的參與，澳門的慈善和社會服務就無法發展到目前的狀況，亦無法滿足社會的需求。
“Butterfly Method” Analysis：
In the past, Helen Liang Orphanage took care of many poor and needy children. For others, Helen Liang Orphanage is just one of the institutions providing social services. However, for those who live and grow up in Helen Liang Orphanage, it is full of memories of their growth and a place full of vitality and joy. At present, in order to meet social needs, Helen Liang Orphanage has been transformed into a child-care centre and alleviating the shortage of child-care centre. In the future, the building will continue to provide early childhood education services for the community and contribute to Macao's social services.
昔日，梁文燕培幼院收容和照顧了許多清貧和家庭有困難的兒童。對於其他人來說，梁文燕培幼院只是其中一間提供社會服務的機構。然而，對於在梁文燕培幼院生活和長大的人來說，這裡充滿了他們成長的回憶，是一個充滿活力和歡樂的地方。現時，為了滿足社會需求，梁文燕培幼院已轉變為托兒所，以緩和托兒所短缺的問題。未來，該建築繼續為社區提供幼兒教育的服務，為澳門的社會服務做出貢獻。
Reference:
About. (n.d.) Creche Diocesana Helen Liang – Centro Familiar. Retrieved from: https://cdhl.mo/about/
Alves, B. M. G. (2019). A obra de Manuel Vicente: leitura crítica pelos ex-colaboradores.
Fernandes, J. M., de Lurdes Janeiro, M., & Janeiro, M. J. (2015). Macao: Cidade, território e arquitecturas. Instituto Internacional de Macao.
HPIP. (n.d.) Helen Liang Orphanage. Retrieved from: https://www.hpip.org/en/heritage/details/1608
Lou, S.H. (2013). Two Origins and Co-existence: Religious Charity and Social Services in Macao. Journal of Public Administration in Macao. 26(3), 565-585.
Macao Memory. (n.d.) Y.C. Liang, 1918-1974. Retrieved from: https://www.Macaomemory.mo/entries_d0bff15c7ad64d80960231575d8b0175
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