“The structure of the Centro Colombo is entirely secure, with its stability and structural performance fully guaranteed,” stated the management of this shopping center, located in the parish of Carnide and considered the largest in the country, with approximately 120,000 square meters and over 300 stores.
The residents’ association Vizinhos em Lisboa raised concerns about the structural risk of Centro Colombo’s building, specifically a pillar in the shopping center, and demanded an urgent inspection by the City Council due to the “potential risk to public safety,” calling for the involvement of other entities, including the Food and Economic Safety Authority (ASAE).
This association shared photographs that they claim demonstrate “visible structural degradation in various pillars and concrete elements” of Centro Colombo, including “chipped areas, material loss, and the presence of makeshift materials like adhesive tape directly applied to the pillars.”
– Ó chefe, este pilar do Colombo não me parece ter grande saúde.
– Pois não. Vai buscar a fita-cola e a gente resolve já isto.Portugal. ️ pic.twitter.com/RqBB9fbuNh
— Luís Ribeiro (@theluisribeiro) November 15, 2025
“At the same time, opaque coverings are being installed that may conceal critical signs of cracking or weakness. As Colombo is one of the city’s most frequented spaces, the situation raises serious public safety concerns,” warned Vizinhos em Lisboa.
In response, the Centro Colombo management assured the news agency that “the pillar whose image has circulated in recent hours is in perfect safety conditions, posing no risk to the building’s use.”
“There are no fractures, cracks, or damage to the concrete. The visible effect in the photographs and videos results from a misalignment in the pillar cladding, with no implication on its structural function,” they added, emphasizing that the pillar’s structural solidity has always been assured by the shopping center’s technicians.
Proactively, the Centro Colombo management requested independent assessments from specialized structural entities, highlighting “the evaluation by LNEC – National Laboratory of Civil Engineering, which confirms that no cracks or concrete disintegration exist in the pillar or slab, thus excluding any mechanical rupture of the pillar or risks of material detachment and fall.”
“It thus concludes that there is no danger to the circulation of people and goods,” stated the mall’s administration.
Similarly, Centro Colombo called for an assessment by the engineering firm Adão da Fonseca – Engenheiros Consultores, Lda., which also “confirms the full functional stability of the structure, reiterating once more that there is no risk for people and goods.”
Currently, Centro Colombo is undergoing a renovation of the shopping center, solely aimed at innovating its space to enhance the visitor experience, noting that “this intervention is unrelated to the building’s structure and does not impact it.”
In this context, the Colombo management reiterated that the normal operation of the shopping center is ensured “in complete safety conditions, with no risk to visitors or employees.”
