This presentation compares the designs and construction processes of the Pedro Nolasco Commercial School (Chorão Ramalho, 1962-66) and the Liceu Nacional Infante D. Henrique (Lucínio Cruz/GUU, 1956-58) in Macau. We will focus on investigating how the architectural discipline was employed to foster proximity with cultures that the Portuguese considered competitors of Western culture. We will also examine the extent to which these buildings' materiality depended on (or not) of their labour force. We will question the stylistic positions of the two schools, arguing that it was Chorão Ramalho's modern approach in Pedro Nolasco's design that ensured the preservation of his project. We will also consider the building's quality as a collaborative effort at the construction site, involving architects, contracts, and manual workers.

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