armazem cowork

Local craftsmanship was key to producing bespoke window frames, carpentry and metal works, ensuring effective cross-ventilation and passive cooling

Porto, 2017

as found

axonometric view of the proposal

An old warehouse in Porto which was vacant for 44 years, with an anonymous ground floor underneath a residential multi-storey building, in a neighborhood slowly abandoned by commerce and businesses in the last decades.

oitoo brought it back to life as armazemcowork and opened our office there. This project is a reflection on the hidden qualities of often unused ground floor spaces and operates as a reactivation method.

The project hopes to demonstrate the underlying qualities and opportunities of unused ground floors and remake the collective opinion of these spaces often tainted by a poor public perception as unsafe and unfit for inhabiting or working. If these spaces remain unoccupied, street life will continue to be absent. Walking on a sidewalk amidst neglected, empty stores is a harrowing experience, and emptiness breeds poor use of public space, resulting in disquieting, seedy streets.

The change of use from former warehouse to co-working office will hopefully contribute to the reactivation of the street level as a lively space. A buffer space mediates street and working areas and acts as a display for businesses inside; in the back, a surprising garden allows for perfect outdoor work or leisure moments.