Concrete columns organise living spaces in Porto

Fala continues its research into domestic spaces, renovating an 1800s building in the centre of Porto. The Portuguese architectural studio composed elementary geometries – a compact spiral staircase, a slightly curved corridor, triangular bathrooms and square living areas – to make the spaces as open and flexible as possible. Fundamental elements in the composition of the plan are the pillars of rough concrete placed in the center of the main rooms. These have a purely architectural function and not a structural one, as they stop just before the ceiling. The pillars define the design of the flooring and suggest a functional division of the environment.

Another peculiarity of the interiors, recurrent in Fala’s work, is the material composition: colours and materials such as wood, cement, marble, plaster and tiles are assembled starting from their well known and elementary digital collages. The architects design the external facades by simply reworking trivial elements and materials of the urban landscape, with the intention of relating to the other historical buildings in the city centre, while giving a decorative and cheerful touch to the three facades.