New partners, refreshed design

Hello everyone! We are back to let you know what we’ve been up to the last days!

  

After some productive meetings with our partners we are able to confirm the re-introduction of the mezzanine on the ground floor, which will be constructed by Norporto, one of our most recent partners! We also had the chance to meet Eng. Ávila e Sousa, from Gyptec, which kindly thought us through their wall and ceiling revetment systems, and accompanied us in a site visit to see how their solutions fit our specific case. In this sense, we also counted with the help of topographer Paulo Sousa, which helped us map the roof structure and the numerous variations of our building, considering the need for accurate information in order to design and install the ceiling with ease. We also welcomed our partners from Gercima on site, where we discussed and decided on the new windows to be produced.

Another highlight of the week was our visit to one of the locations of Ribeira VintageApartments, really close to our headquarters, in the highly historical street of Mouzinho da Silveira. Situated in the heart of Porto, in a quarter which was recently refurbished by TopDomus, the building combines different typologies of flats, which successfully match the traditional qualities and specificities of Porto’s building characteristics, with the requirements and performance of contemporary materials and architectural development.

In the meantime, we are also progressing on the design project, deciding on textures and materials, as well as the different finishes and possibilities of use for the mezzanine, ground floor and basement areas.

For the mezzanine we are considering the possibility of its enclosure, adding sliding panels which will allow for two different activities to be developed at the same time between the ground floor and the upper space. For the ground floor we are designing a common area at the entrance revolving around a tile covered wall which will be personalized in the forthcoming weeks. As for the basement, we are creating a new floor pattern, as well as a modular system of storage, that can suggest or facilitate some possible uses for this space; projects inside this project, which we intend to develop in the upcoming weeks.

Almost two months after our arrival we are keeping busy here in Arrebita!Porto headquarters, and it feels like time is flying by too quickly. We are already considering and interviewing the members for Team 9, and it feels that it was only yesterday that we were being interviewed ourselves. However, with a month to go, we still have a lot of things we want to develop further, and a lot of ideas to put to action!

In the meantime, we’ll keep you posted! Cheers from Arrebita!

Designing A!Plan

Hello fellow Arrebitas!

Here we are again with some great news to share with you!

As the preparation of the work to be done in the facade continues, we are pleased to let you know that we have a new partner, Gercima, which will be responsible for the production of the Arrebita! windows, which we thank and welcome with excitement!

As the design plan of the facade starts to come together, we are also focusing our attention in the interior design of the building, considering the re-introduction of the mezzanine, above the ground floor. As it would allow us to explore the full potential of this storey’s exceptionally high ceiling, as well as to maximize its flexibility in the future, we will meet Norporto this week and go through the different possibilities of its development, having in mind the full potential of light steel framing construction as well as the specificities of the building, which we will weight and consider together, on site.

With the latest developments in mind, we are searching for an architectural image that will allow the building to come together as a whole, bringing together the materials and services made available through our partners in action, as well as the different uses and purposes the building will embrace. From the housing units, where our A!box will be crucial for the definition of space and architectural language, to the ground floor, mezzanine and basement, open to different and versatile purposes and activities.

With all this in mind, this week will be an exciting one! Today, Natalia Solano, our architect in residence, will work with us in an intensive session, focused on the A!box and the overall architectural design of the building. From there, we will meet our partners from Gyptec, Gercima and Norporto throughout the week, in order to clarify any doubts we might have and develop the project even further!

We’ll keep you posted as always! Feel free to follow us also through facebook and instagram for more updates!

Cheers from Arrebita!

Next stop: facade!

Dear Arrebitas,

Team 8 is now preparing the work to be done in the facade, between the improvement of the drawings of the windows and doors, and choosing a range of possible colors to apply. Having in mind the fact that our pilot project is located in the “priority intervention area of Infante D. Henrique”, a well-known historical and protected area, we are making sure that the building maintains its original features.

In this sense, the next step will be to clean and repair the facade with the products provided by Weber, to which will follow the test of an array of color samples to match the existing ones, made possible by CIN.

To continue this effort, the doors on the ground floor will be refurbished by us with the help of PIGMA, in a workshop format session that will give us the tools to do the work ourselves!

 The windows, on the other hand, due to their poor conditions of conservation, will need to be replaced completely. Following the same logic of the rest of the facade, we aim at maintaining their material, colour and design, improving at the same time their insulation qualities, with double glazing. We are now on the run for new partners who can help us achieve these goals!

For all of this and more we are eager to see some improvement on the weather so we can start with the hands-on work! As soon as the scaffolding is placed we will also be able to start thinking about the building’s soffit, to be designed and built by Sr. João Pacheco. 

At Sr. João’s atelier, right next to Ponte Luís I, the 1:20 model of Reboleira 42 is also showing progress, as the structure of the building is reaching completion and growing progressively, just as the building itself.

Tomorrow we will meet Rita, Daniel and Natalia, our wonderful team of engineers and architects, and afterwards discuss the evolution of the work with the contractor, in order to establish the guidelines and deadlines for the next weeks!

We’ll keep you posted, anytime soon!

Roof structure: Check!

Arrebita is proud to announce that the roof of Reboleira 42 is finally complete! With the support of Telhas Cobert and its workers, the building got through the bad weather and is now one step closer to its completion.  We also had the visit of Eng. Carlos Capitão, from Tintas CIN, who came to see the work in progress and explained to us the correct way to prepare and apply the paint, so we can start with the coating of the chimneys in the days to come. 

Back at Mouzinho da Silveira, we had a presentation by Porto Vivo about the rehabilitation program they have in place for the historical centre of Porto. Having in mind the difficulties faced by private owners, and the lack of a proper support structure, Porto Vivo has developed a methodology to take the matter into their own hands, as well as developing an important role in the mediation and facilitation of the licencing process of rehabilitation proposals, such as Arrebita!Porto.

After a sunny weekend, we got back to the office and also had the opportunity to start a new project with Sr. João Pacheco, to be developed in the next few weeks: building a 1:20 model of the pilot project of Arrebita!Porto. We will keep you posted on it as we go along!

 Between visits to the building, progress at the office, and some site seeing, we had a visit from Thinking Big, and got to participate in an interesting group building experience. During the session we had the opportunity to understand and put to practice different communication and expression skills, instigating group dynamics and building upon shared experiences. A Big thanks to Edite Amorim, and also Rita and Catarina for the experience!

Two weeks after its arrival, Team 8 is off to an enthusiastic start! With the roofs’ completion, the work on site will now be focused on the facade, with the training and support of Weber’s team.

More soon!

Team 8 has arrived!

Arrebita is back with a new team! We are Andrew Cumine, Guilherme Vieira, Ana Paula Emídio, Ilaria Baldini and Joana Varajão (from left to right) and we have arrived ready to work! After a quick introduction by José, Rita and Daniel, we visited the building for the first time and talked about the work to be done. The roof is holding up perfectly and it survived the challenging weather of the last couple of days, so we can say with certainty it will survive anything! 

Yesterday we got to spend the day in Matosinhos and had a very useful Archicad workshop provided by Infor-Sociedade Portuguesa de Estudos e Informática Lda, which helped us understand the program better and move around the drawings of the project with ease. A big thanks to Ricardo Dias for the patience and help throughout the day and also to Eng. Araújo for welcoming us!

Last, but not least, a big thanks to Margarida and Leo from Team 7 for all the information they provided us with, and for the warm welcome into the project!

More soon!