atelier ATA fits minimalistic dwelling among an historic block in porto

re-interpreting the 19th-century heritage of porto

With its newest project, a residential and commercial building in Porto, architecture studio Atelier Tiago Antero (ATA) takes inspiration from the historic buildings of the neighborhood. The apartment occupies ‘one of the few urban voids in the center of Porto,’ and is built from scratch atop a plot which once hosted a cluster of small ‘ruins.’

Together with architect Vítor Fernandes, the design team at ATA unifies the plot with a single structure and reinterpretes the architectural language of nineteenth century-era Porto through a contemporary and minimalistic lens. The project’s austere, concrete interiors have been captured by photographer José Campos upon its completion.

images © José Campos | @josecamposphotographer

a sensitive new build by atelier ata and vítor fernandes

Tiago Antero of architecture practice ATA comments on the sensitive design process of the Porto apartment project, created together with Vítor Fernandes: ‘There was a great deal of responsibility in intervening in a classified block. The plot, originally made up of four small ruins of no great architectural value, allowed us to design a building from scratch, which gave us both freedom and responsibility.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.

commercial programming occupies the ground level with housing above

‘The entire building is designed in a close relationship of dialogue with the surrounding buildings from the nineteenth century. The apartment’s distribution, four per floor, culminates in four roofs that evoke the four original plots so that there is a good scale relation,’ the architect continues.

‘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.’

the interiors show dramatically sloping ceilings to recall the plot’s previous buildings

Tiago Antero of Porto-based atelier ATA adds: ‘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 nineteenth 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.’

a contemporary and minimalistic finish contrasts with the facade’s historic elements four apartments are distributed across each floor