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Architects: OODA
- Area: 1100 m²
- Year: 2014
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Photographs:Joao Morgado
Text description provided by the architects. One of the most demanding tasks in Porto nowadays is the intervention on the major amount of old and historical buildings of Porto´s downtown. This project is a renovation of a 20th century building to convert to a 17 housing unit for students and young people in general.
The DM2 Building , located in downtown Porto ( priority intervention zone ) , in the area of protection of the National Museum Soares dos Reis , is dating the nineteenth century and their original composition the property was intended for a single dwelling taking ornamental and construction of the whole intrinsic characteristics of the buildings at the time, both in functional layout as an ornamental and aesthetic .
However , a later change occurred in ¬ late twentieth century, the building has undergone a profound change taking place inside caused by the modication of use required .
The property became divided by several independent floors with features framed in services and trade and lower floors have been completely redesigned and trace assets were hidden in part and / or removed from the particular frames original, wood structure of the floors (now concrete) and traditional skylight at top of stairs . Indeed , the draft D.Manuel intended to rebuild the property , returning the initial function of integral housing, recovering traces of hidden identity , reinterpreting traditional elements and giving the building a new sense of contemporary housing program with a set of typologies ace current market needs .
So Manuel II building as a whole distributes 17 apartments T0 and T1 types , ranging in size between 28sqm and 105sqm, spread over 5 floors and are accompanied by a landscaped patio intended for parking.
The rehabilitation now completed , restores the original residential function, underlines the unique formal and constructive characteristics and adapt to a contemporary urban reality of the city of Oporto .
