Panorama Building
Architecture: Pedra Líquida
Location: Av. Brasil, PortoThe residential complex, located on the Atlantic coast of Porto, is made up of two adjacent buildings, and its design seeks to resolve a delicate urban transition.
The building to the north replaces an existing house in ruins and completes a group of tall, narrow buildings that have characterised real estate investment on this coast since the end of the 20th century. The building to the south is the result of the complete renovation of a two-storey mansion, to which a loggia was added in the roof space. This mansion belongs to the relatively low built front, which marked the first urbanisation of the estuary, at the beginning of the 20th century. A mansion whose demolition is not permitted and it was decided to enhance its value, and which at the same time allowed the transformation of the southern gable of the taller building into a long façade as a transition between the two levels.
Alfa Atlântica – Panorama Building
Once the transition was complete, it was decided to give the complex two distinct languages: the building to the north is marked by an “exo-skeleton” in exposed concrete, in an ochre colour, which allowed for extensive balconies to open onto the sea; the mansion to the south was designed in different sections, taking advantage of the interior structure in masonry and partitions, although without obliterating its spatial and ornamental qualities.The two buildings share a system of vertical access and access to the courtyard, a solution that does not destroy, but rather enhances, their urban insertion.
