Patio Luso / Saraiva + Associados

© FG+SG – Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra

Architects: Miguel Saraiva & Associados
Location: Carlos Alberto Square, Porto, Portugal
Client: Porto Vivo – Sociedade de Reabilitação Urbana, S.A., Edifer Reabilitação
Engineers: Sopsec and Rodrigues Gomes & Associados, Consultores de Engenharia S.A.
Project Area: 3,324.47 sqm
Project Year: 2006-2009
Photographs: FG+SG – Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra

ground floor plan

Placed in the heart of the Oporto’s down town, at the Carlos Alberto Square, the Pátio Luso – Urban Rehabilitation project, is composed by two built bodies, for multifamily housing, commerce and services, with a common yard space. The rehabilitation program covers a total of 8 buildings and takes start at a most emblematic building, which hosted the old “Luso Café”, a landmark of the city’s history, having served, among other memories, such as campaign headquarters of General Humberto Delgado for the Presidential Election of 1958.

© FG+SG – Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra

The building composed by 23 dwellings, is distinguished by the esthetic innovation of the interior elevation of the common yard, with windows in all its dimension, giving it an enormous transparency and lightness.

© FG+SG – Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra

Having as a goal the rehabilitation and recovery of this set of housing buildings, the solution proposed looked for to keep the historical and patrimonial component, combining the architectural environment and heritage with a functional and contemporary design, making it compatible with attractive solutions for the young population, meeting the necessity to populate the zone, among the concerns of memory preservation with the current time necessities.

© FG+SG – Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra

sections

Its central courtyard seems to be the unifying element of the entire set, serving as the main element of housing communication access.

In the interior of the apartments it was tried to create open and fluid spaces, sectioned at the least essential, where the living rooms, directed toward the interior yard, seem to function as a center point of the building, for all the inhabitants, harnessing the civilized mutual interrelation and familiarity.