The Santos Pousada apartment is located on the top floor of a building designed by the famous Portuguese architects Arménio Losa and Cassiano Barbosa, in a Mid-Century style. Built in 1956 as a rental building, the top floor was initially designed as an outdoor semi-public space. During the original construction, this space was adapted into two symmetrical apartments, repeating the pattern of the lower floors. This programmatic shift is responsible for some of the apartment's most unique formal elements, such as the structural concrete elements and the size of the windows which account for 55% of the facade area.
The aim of the project is to completely modernize the original three bedroom apartment with a gross floor area of 80 sq m into a more comfortable, energy and efficient two bedroom apartment for a young couple with a child, a dog , a study and a library without compromising the original Mid-Century style.
The project strategy was to define a central open space in the apartment where the family spends most of their time, increasing its surface area by demolishing some internal walls. Here we have the living space, the dining space, the library and the study. The different spaces are organized with three types of joinery elements: loose elements, elements aligned with the walls and dividing elements which in some cases completely replace the walls between the different rooms. The remaining spaces are secondary and minimized with walls full of cabinets to place electronics, infrastructure and storage.
The materials chosen are largely defined by the original design. The original wooden floors and wooden doors have been restored and the existing terrazzo floors have been replaced by new floors which extend along the plastered walls. The natural wood elements use the mahogany of the original design and the varnished light wood filler elements are replaced by lacquered and colored MDF. The dark tone of the joinery balances the natural brightness provided by the large windows. The ambiance of the large textured wood paneling puts an end to the 65-year rental apartment feel and brings the intended permanent home character into the space.
project info
Project name: Santos Pousada Apartment
Architecture Office: Hinterland Architecture Studio
Main Architect: Filipa Figueira and Tiago Vieira
Website: www.hinterland-as.com
Email: info@hinterland-as.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hinterland.architecture.studio/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hinterland.as/
Location: Oporto
Year of conclusion: 2021
total area: 80m2
Architectural photographer: Ivo Tavares Studio
Website: www.ivotavares.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ivotavaresstudio
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ivotavaresstudio
