This third week!

This last week started with the great company of the teacher and architect Teresa Fonseca. Professora Teresa will be our tutor representing the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Oporto.

After we present some ideas of what we are doing, this meeting became like a melting pot where we discussed the rehabilitation philosophy and a future program. Besides that we also put on a table some good examples about what has been done in the city in the last decades. We talked about some political questions and how to turn the new program in a new way (even if small) of contaminating all neighbor and, who knows, all city center.

“A city who prostitutes herself to the others, may bring diseases”, a city lives from its own community and not for foreigners to see. In this way on one hand we have here a great opportunity to create something socially new,and on the other hand to draw a standard prototype for future rehabilitations in the historical center.

As architects “we have to feel the sensations of the street”, we have to see people's behaviors and observe everything around, before we can make any decision.

On the same day, 16^th April, we went to have a walk on the street of Reboleira with Catarina and Joana, both architecture students. We were there to know what is happening in situ, who are the people that still live or work there, which are the companies and associations that function there and some other historical facts about the buildings.  

On Tuesday we reviewed all our structural report in a meeting with NCREP, to prepare our public presentation the day after. On Wednesday, our first open working day has finally arrived (you can see more information in our related post). We finished the day with a nice dinner with all Arrebita team as well as many others partners that also came.

Seminar in Casa do Infante

Last Thursday we had also an important presentation with the architect Ren Ito. He talked about the Sabiamente Study Center project, an example as it is possible to rehabilitate a building with short resources.

With Ren Ito

Today, friday, we started the day with the historian Susana Pacheco Barros. She told us about some historical facts and about some curious characters that lived there as “Toninho da Ribeira”, and that can be a future inspiration for us. By the way, if you know any information that could help us please comment!

History lecture in the studio