concrete pillars wrap around OODA’s cylindrical student housing tower in porto

the cylindrical volumetry reconciles form and function, creating optimized spatial organization and flexibility.

lea zeitoun July 14, 2023 4 min

ooda completes hoso, a student housing tower in porto

Destined for student housing, the cylindrical Hoso tower by OODA is located on the largest university campus in Porto, Portugal. Integrated between orthogonal volumes, the concrete architecture fills an urban void created by the various discontinuities associated with the inner belt motorway in Porto. With that said, the concept started as an exercise to find the best design that reconciles form and function with contemporary needs while responding to the client’s ambitious goals.

‘How to design a building that provides optimized and flexible space? How would it be suitable for students and young generations’ lifestyles, while responding to the new contemporary challenges of sustainability, affordability, and sense of community? The answer was in its form and volumetry: a pure shape with the purest elements, slabs, and pillars that give the intended rhythm to the building in a classic concrete cylinder. The depth of the balconies highlights the tower’s exoskeleton. With a prefabricated structure, all the pieces were built-in fabric and assembled on-site,’ explains OODA.

concrete pillars wrap around OODA's cylindrical student housing tower in porto - 1 — all images © Fernando Guerra | FG + SG (unless stated otherwise)

using concrete to build a cylindrical and flexible volume

The cylindrical volumetry defining the student housing allows for an optimized spatial organization and flexibility, reducing the circulation areas and solving the typological versatility in a simple way. The modules gather the infrastructures in the center, contiguous to the common accesses, with plans open to the outside. With a concrete prefabricated structure, all the pieces are built-in fabric and assembled on-site reducing the construction timeline in 30%. It took OODA (see more here) approximately one week to assemble each floor for the Hoso student housing tower.

The method and process of prefabricated construction minimize the unforeseen outcomes, which guarantees above-average quality. The pieces can be easily pilled which allows to reduce its transportation and, therefore, the waste and carbon footprint. Meanwhile, OODA designed the facade to protect the housing units, not only from sun exposure but also from an acoustic point of view, working as a barrier that reduces the noise coming from the roads with greater traffic. At the same time, it acts as a filter that allows privacy in each housing unit. The balconies, all around its perimeter, bring plasticity to the building that explore the vertical and horizontal elements. The upper and lower floors are intended for collective uses and provide panoramic views.