Both the programmatic organization and the design of the building's envelope can be traced back to the architecture of the medieval city of Porto, where shops dominated the ground floors and dwellings on the upper floors, which evolved and were used until the first half of the 19th century. The dwellings follow a social dynamic, where the social spaces relate to the street and the private spaces are turned towards the inner courtyard.
General Silveira Building by Atelier Tiago Antero. Photograph by José Campos.
Description of project by Atelier Tiago Antero (ATA)
The most recent project by the architectural studio ATA, a residential and commercial building built in one of the few urban voids in the center of Porto, has been completed. ATA, in co-authorship with the architect Vítor Fernandes, assumed the objective of consolidating a block from the 19th century while re-interpreting the architectural language of Porto from that era.
“There was a great deal of responsibility in intervening in a classified block. The plot, originally made up of 4 small ruins of no great architectural value, allowed us to design a building from scratch, which gave us both freedom and responsibility. I have always had a great interest in renovation, but here it was different, it was an exercise of imagination, of conceiving the Porto of the future based on formulas from the past. The entire building is designed in a close relationship of dialogue with the surrounding buildings from the 19th century. The apartment's distribution, 4 per floor, culminates in 4 roofs that evoke the 4 original plots so that there is a good scale relation. In turn, the elements that make up the facades, such as cornices, balconies, openings, or even the color and pattern of the tiles, refer to the neighboring buildings. However, it is still a new building, with full-height windows and exposed concrete on the facades, namely in the pilasters that evoke the typical granite stonework of the city of Porto.”
Tiago Antero
The building, with 1378 sqm of gross building area, contains three commercial spaces on the ground floor and ten apartments spread over the remaining three floors, divided into three types – T1, T2 and T3. It also has a garage in the basement with parking spaces corresponding to each fraction.
General Silveira Building by Atelier Tiago Antero. Photograph by José Campos.
“The building organization, with housing upstairs and shops on the ground floor, is based on a tradition that dates to medieval Porto, which was later imported to the Age of Enlightenment, still used in the first half of the 19th century. As this area has a great social dynamic, the dwellings turn their social areas towards the street fronts, while private areas take advantage of the intimate character of the interior patio.”
Tiago Antero
ATA was recently appointed as the only Portuguese representative among the finalists of the Millenium Bcp Début Award at the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, in a panel that includes studios from Congo, Argentina, Brazil, Georgia, Russia, India, Singapore, and Mexico, which is intended to reward the practice of an architect or studio under 35 years of age.
“It is an immense pride to be recognized by the Lisbon Architecture Triennale. It means that we are on the right track and that all the effort applied in recent years makes sense. It motivates us to continue working with the same focus.”
Tiago Antero
