Porto Housing Project: Rethinking the Relationship Between Homes and Outdoor Spaces

Understanding the Concept of “Housing”

The term “House” refers to a dual notion that encompasses both a noun and a verb simultaneously. In an analytical context, the verb “to house” is used to indicate the act of providing shelter, a transitive verb that requires a direct object to complete its meaning.

The Primary Purpose of a Dwelling

The purpose of a dwelling goes beyond merely being a place of residence; it represents a means to accommodate an individual or a family. Therefore, the concept of shelter cannot be separated from the entity being housed, highlighting the intrinsic relationship between the dwelling and its inhabitants.

The Project as an Architectural Analysis of Housing

This project can be viewed as an architectural study of the concept of housing, focusing on both aspects: the function and the purpose of the dwelling. The analysis was based on a preconceived notion of the “house”, allowing for a deeper understanding of how to meet the needs of inhabitants before designing the building itself.

Design Flexibility to Meet Family Needs

The study highlights the importance of flexible design in addressing the diversity of contemporary family structures. A dwelling can support multiple uses, such as working from home or accommodating multiple generations within a single housing unit, while maintaining economic efficiency in construction.

Horizontal Design of Residential Buildings

The study addressed the concept of distributing residential buildings horizontally rather than vertically, aiming to combine the advantages of collective housing with the comfort of traditional dwellings.

Benefits of Connection to Green Spaces

This distribution allows for direct access to gardens, enhancing the daily quality of life for residents and creating a living experience closer to that of a traditional home, while benefiting from the scale efficiencies associated with collective housing.

The Emergence of the Townhouse in Portugal

The townhouse is considered common only in the city of Porto, where it played a significant role in the city’s expansion in the late 18th century under the influence of British trade in Port wine. This urban pattern reflects a low-rise, densely built city, emphasizing the efficient use of space.

Reinterpreting the Urban Pattern

Reapplying the logic of a dense, low-rise city can be seen as an opportunity to develop flexible and affordable housing models. This approach allows for a balance between population density and resource management, while providing adaptability to the needs of contemporary families.

Challenges Related to Site and Budget

When working within design constraints and a limited budget, site selection becomes a crucial factor. Locating away from the city center can create a quieter environment, allowing each housing unit to retain its identity and individual characteristics in terms of size, timing, and personality.

Enhancing Street Quality and Promoting Community Life

The project demonstrates how a residential block can function as a framework that improves the quality of the entire street. The design also contributes to fostering a sense of community among residents by organizing shared spaces and connecting homes in a way that encourages interaction among community members.

Exploring Low-Maintenance Industrial Materials

Architectural studies highlight the importance of exploring low-maintenance industrial materials that can be reimagined to suit contemporary needs. Examples include the use of white brick, which provides visual consistency across elements such as shading devices, ventilation systems, windows, staircases, exterior pavements, and cladding.

Exposed Brick as an Architectural Expression

Exposed brick is an uncommon element in southern Portugal, where applied or white-painted surfaces dominate. Introducing this brick thus offers an unfamiliar local expression while maintaining a timeless character in the design. It serves as an example of how familiar materials can be employed in new contexts to create a distinctive architectural identity.

Designing Homes Around Courtyards

Courtyards form the core of the design for the seven homes, providing privacy and facilitating the daily use of diverse outdoor spaces. This layout allows for an appropriate distribution of light and shadow, while enhancing the sense of comfort and privacy for each housing unit.

Gardens and Plant Selection

The gardens rely on local, climate-adapted plants, with a focus on providing shade and protection from the wind. They also encourage a balanced outdoor lifestyle, fostering interaction with nature and creating spaces for relaxation and leisure.

Distribution of Interior and Exterior Spaces

All social areas are located at street level, while bedrooms are placed on the upper floor. The gardens are directly connected to the multifunctional ground floor, allowing for diverse uses ranging from recreation to work, or simply a more relaxed lifestyle.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The project represents an important experiment in rethinking traditional housing, particularly in terms of space and courtyard distribution and direct connections to gardens. This approach provides a form of privacy and flexibility in the use of the dwelling. Additionally, the use of simple, low-maintenance materials reflects a concern for sustainability and the potential for applying these solutions in similar contexts.

However, the project raises several questions from a broader architectural perspective. For instance, while horizontal expansion offers benefits, it may limit land-use density in densely populated urban environments, reducing the efficiency of land compared to vertical buildings. Similarly, adopting a low-rise pattern may not be easily applicable in cities with strict spatial constraints or high population densities. Furthermore, designing individual courtyards imposes limitations on broader social interaction within larger communities and may complicate the future repurposing of units without significant modifications.

From a strategic standpoint, this project can be used as a case study to understand the balance between housing flexibility and privacy, and how the incorporation of simple materials in design can reduce costs and maintenance. At the same time, practical implementation requires careful contextual review in accordance with the requirements of different cities and local urban regulations.

Reviewer

★ ArchUp Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis of the Porto Houses Project:
This article provides a technical analysis of a residential project comprising seven terraced houses in Porto, as a case study in reinterpreting the local traditional “townhouse” typology.

The design adopts low-rise horizontal density, arranging seven units to retain direct ground contact and private outdoor space, enhancing residential quality while achieving construction and land-use efficiencies.

The spatial system centers on private internal patios for each unit. Social spaces are at street level with garden access, while bedrooms are upstairs for privacy, fostering an integrated indoor-outdoor lifestyle with local vegetation.

The project uses exposed white brick as the primary material. The brick is shaped into perforated patterns functioning as contemporary mashrabiya, providing ventilation, light, and privacy, and ensuring visual coherence across all architectural elements.

Related Insight: Please review this article to compare another project focusing on reinterpreting a traditional urban model in a different context:
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