The project in Paranhos concerns the transformation of an ordinary house, that is to say, a house like many others. Whose design is the result of a great economy of gestures. This house is part of the Affordable Housing Neighborhood [Bairro de Casas Económicas] built in Paranhos during the Estado Novo dictatorship, in a (then) peripheral area of the city of Porto. Continue reading Atelier Local
In 1995, Lacaton & Vassal wrote that “we deprive ourselves of extraordinary architecture for the sake of some bourgeois comfort”. Based on this assumption, the refurbishment of this bicentenary house aims to do the opposite. In it, there are neither master bedrooms nor en-suites. There are no extravagant finishes, built-in wardrobes or walk-in closets. The form of its spaces does not follow predetermined functions, as domestic etiquette is not exactly expected to be respected inside this house. The existent building was emptied of the superfluous and only the indispensable was rebuilt: two sculptures, containing the essential infrastructure for its habitability: a kitchen and a bathroom. A mezzanine was added for practical reasons of intimacy. These new volumes were built in pine wood, birch plywood and water-repellent MDF for greater durability. From a plastic point of view, the colors reflect the condition of the materials themselves. The existing wooden structure was replaced only where unavoidable for safety reasons. In the middle of the room, a log is the Alberto Carneiro we could never afford. Continue reading atelier local
Atelier Local . photos: © Francisco Ascensão
This house attests to the idea that architecture is a long, arduous and patient process. From the outset, it redefined for us the sense that architecture is expected to cross various scales, spanning from the design of a door handle to the modeling of its territory. Until the end, it was conceived as a refurbishment, even though it was practically built from scratch. Continue reading Atelier Local
