The building has in its genesis the Union of Workers of the Ceramics and Similar Industries of the District of Porto, as shown by the ceramic sign attached to its facade, next to the main door, and also tile panels, with the saying “CASA DA CERAMICA” meaning CERAMIC HOUSE. The building was in a good state of conservation, on a narrow and quite deep lot, levelled with Rua Cândido dos Reis.
Consisting of 5 floors with an implantation of 117m2 and a garden of 200m2.
The intention is part of a principle closer to restoration and not so much to rehabilitation, restoring to the maximum the most characteristic original elements, in terms of carpentry and also its main structures. The existing building features were fully preserved, a new program was designed, maximizing the restoration of all its enameled carpentry, shutters, baseboards and moldings, restoration of plastered ceilings, the staircase with its skylight, the mosaic entrance and the main entrance door.
On the outside, all the original elements were restored, such as the enamelled woodwork, restoration and replacement of the original guardrails, the granites were cleaned and the plasters painted with breathable silicate paints. The roofs were replaced with under-tile blankets and insulation that was both ventilated and breathable.
The introduction of an elevator in the building, which made possible the access to the apartments more confortable and with new accessibility concerns in the way of living, meeting the demand and requirements of the housing market, being an asset in the historic centers.
In the end of the garden, it was created a new volume for social areas, communicating with the main garden, consisting of a porch and storage, belonging to each of the 4 fractions. The composition of the new volume seeks a confluence with the limits of the lot, respecting the neighboring areas and their heights, creating a new matrix that is more horizontal and less vertical in contrast to the typical design of the original house. The lot finishes off with a porch facade and side galleries, roof structure in wooden beams covered with tile, with the intention of an area to be enjoyed sporadically in the hot seasons.
The program includes 4 apartments of different types: 2 T1 – on floors 0 and 1; 1 T2 on the 2nd floor and 1 T3 duplex on the 3rd and 4th floors, creating greater and better living conditions in the historic center, important for the city, providing solutions like good storage, laundrys, west-facing kitchens, facing a residential market that consolidates itself as a residence place in Rua Cândido dos Reis.