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Architects: Atelier do cardoso arquitectos
- Area: 1700 m²
- Year: 2016
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Photographs:João Morgado
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Manufacturers: Alpalhão, Navarra, New Terracotta
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Structures: TRUST, Sílvia Castilho Martins
Text description provided by the architects. Casa Acreditar do Porto is a very peculiar project, with a very specific program, for a universe of very special users. The House is designed for 16 children and adolescents with cancer who, during the period of treatments to be done at the Porto IPO, need a House to stay with their families. As such, the main objective of this project was to create a building, a living space with the maximum of comfort, that could help to overcome the longing, creating a familiar environment in a coexistence of friendship and solidarity.
Another concern that prevailed in the requirements of the project was the cost containment theme, we are dealing with a project whose total financing results from donations and patronage. For this reason, we have delineated from a very early stage a strategy that went through the choice of Portuguese materials and brands that allowed us, from an early stage, to establish a relation of project involvement by all its stakeholders and that later resulted in an important Donations to the work. In addition to these issues we were also asked to take into account the issue of strength and durability of the materials chosen since the users of this building has a great turnover.
In formal terms the idea corresponds to a parallelepiped, to which we subtract sections, creating voids that are reflected in the ground as patios. Patios that allow establishing an important relation interior / exterior. These voids mark several important moments, as is the case of the main entrance, the children's patio, or the entrance patio.
The organization of the program had as main premise the typology of the users of the building, that is, the definition of specific areas for exclusive use of families and areas that are intended for volunteers.
The program is organized in four floors, the main access being the ground floor.
On the ground floor is developed the program for volunteers and visitors who can occasionally access certain spaces. This floor also houses a meeting and training room, which can function independently in relation to the building.
The house itself occupies the upper floors. In the first floor we implemented the program of common use, the living rooms, kitchen, laundry, with the respective patios and storage areas.
On the two upper floors are the bedrooms, eight per floor. The second floor is intended for younger children, with a multipurpose activity room and the third and last floor reserved for youngsters, thus allowing them greater autonomy and privacy, as they are further away from areas of common use.
