#BeyondBuildings

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FERNANDES TOMÁS HOUSING AND STORES

  • Status:
  • Size: 460 m2
  • Location: Porto, Portugal
  • Year of completion: 2021

About the project.

The Fernandes Tomas Housing and Stores project blends modern convenience with historic charm in Porto. It features 4 apartments and 2 stores located next to Bolo Market and a short walk from bustling Rua de Santa Catarina. Each furnished apartment comes equipped with essential amenities. Bolhão Metro Station is nearby, providing guests easy access to the city’s main attractions and Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport. Underneath the apartments are a variety of stores offering local products.

Story behind the design.

The project on Fernandes Tomas Street has a rich story in its background, closely connected to the cultural construction of Porto history. While its initial idea was to reconstruct and work out one of the city’s architectural patrimonies, the business was flourishing in the context of Porto’s gentrification. However, the original impulse for the authors was to historically treat the material and preserve the essence of the locality. In other words, it is not about how to rebuild exactly but how to tell the story of the place in honor and memory of it. This factory work was in dialogue with the city that emerged from a small fishing and trading square to a revolutionary cultural locality.

The project on Fernandes Tomas Street has a rich story in its background, closely connected to the cultural construction of Porto history. While its initial idea was to reconstruct and work out one of the city’s architectural patrimonies, the business was flourishing in the context of Porto’s gentrification. However, the original impulse for the authors was to historically treat the material and preserve the essence of the locality. In other words, it is not about how to rebuild exactly but how to tell the story of the place in honor and memory of it. This factory work was in dialogue with the city that emerged from a small fishing and trading square to a revolutionary cultural locality.

The choice to construct a wooden structure that is reminiscent of the traditional way of building was not an accident but an ode to the character of Porto as a city. Therefore, the heart of this project is a story of respect for the past and respect toward rich traditions, a story about the possibility of rolling architectural innovation into the domain of tradition that defines the essence of what Porto represents.

Added value.

  1. The project on Fernandes Tomas Street reflects a holistic approach to urban redevelopment
  2. Enriching the community fabric by fostering a sense of place through the careful preservation of characteristic features.
  3. The cultural heritage of Porto is preserved not only by the prominent wooden structures but also by the traditional façades of the buildings
  4. Communal spaces created by the project allowed neighbors to interact with each other more and to feel a part of the community