Atelier d'Arquitectura Lopes da Costa recently presented the beautiful restoration of the Marlim D. JOÃO IV building in the heart of Porto, Portugal, where many rehabilitation projects on old buildings are taking place.

As Portugal continues to be an attractive destination for tourists, expatriates, digital nomads, students, and retirees, the housing market here has also been surging. As the second largest city in the country, Porto offers many great things at a more affordable price in comparison to the capital Lisbon. However, despite the charm, the age and degrading state of old houses were initially a serious downturn for housing investors in the city. Yet things started to change rapidly and in the past few years, despite the residents' complaints about the constant construction all over Porto, one can see a city being reborn.

It is hard to miss the scale of rehabilitation that Porto is going through and this not only includes infrastructure but also residential architecture. However, as Porto’s historic centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, any rehabilitation project there needs to be approached and planned with meticulous care.

The Marlim D. JOÃO IV building is located in the very heart of Porto, in D. João IV street, only a five-minute walk to the city’s famous Mercado do Bolhão, and 10 minutes from the Church of Saint Ildefonso—both notable historic landmarks. The restoration architecture aimed to convert two existing buildings, with a basement and three floors, into a complex of 10 apartments of different types and sizes that all enjoy the garden spaces located inside the property.

The goal of the intervention was to create better conditions of habitability and comfort for the users of the building while safeguarding the character and personality of the pre-existing buildings. The architects sought to provide new solutions, materials, and finishes to preserve and restore the essential characteristics of the structures and adapt the spaces to new functionalities and contemporary living experiences.

As the north building was in a better state of conservation it was decided that the entrance to the entire building goes through the northern side, which gives access to all the units and, by its staircase, connects the southern building through the intermediate landings. This was possible due to the difference in height between the two platforms.

Due to the better state of preservation, the intervention in the north building was lighter and merely involved placing new kitchens and sanitary facilities. The good condition of the building allowed the architects to preserve the character and memory of the existing building as much as possible and reduce the demolitions to selected walls and interior openings, refurbishing the existing wooden structure, wooden flooring, tiled roof, decorative ceilings, friezes, trimmings, sweeps, walls, and internal window frames.

In this part of the project, although modern life comforts are provided, the traditional design of the house gives a certain charm to the living space. The arched doorways, stone thresholds holding minimalist white doors, beautifully curved staircas designs and handles, and the traditional stuccos peaking here and there, form an interesting and unashamed contrast with the modern kitchen, minimalist lighting, smooth white surfaces, and monochrome black beams. The nostalgic charm of the preserved old elements of the house adds a pinch of much-needed salt to the bland serenity of modern minimalism.

The southern building was the one more damaged and in a state of deterioration. In this case, the exterior walls of the building were maintained but the entire interior was demolished and rebuilt. This is an approach taken by many architects and builders in Porto when handling houses that cannot be salvaged. The façade is preserved with care so as not to disrupt the overall look of the city and the interior is built again from scratch. In this way, the architects can act with greater freedom in spatial distribution, and in the case of the Marlim D. JOÃO IV building they have kept the beautiful facade, overlooking the D. João IV street. For the rear facades, however, which were adulterated and ruined, they “chose a more contemporary language” to homogenise the intervention. In this part, the roof hollows through the construction of mezzanines allowed them to create complementary multipurpose spaces, illuminated and ventilated by skylights.

To enhance the life quality of the complex it was enriched with the requalification of the interior land to which all apartments have access. A covered outdoor space was added to the northern side to ensure privacy and reduce visibility from neighbouring constructions.

The star of the show is located at an upper level with excellent sun exposure. It is a beautiful and serene swimming pool in a generous green area from where residents can enjoy a fantastic view of the city.

Project Details

Name: Marlim D. JOÃO IV building
Location: Porto, Portuagal
Area: 853 sqm
Architect: Atelier d’Arquitectura Lopes da Costa
Design Team: José António Lopes da Costa and Joana Jorge
Design Year: 2017-2019
Construction Year: 2020-2023