Urban Refuge: A Hospitable Street explores how architecture can address social equality, homelessness, and reintegration. Recognising that Porto’s streets are not habitable and that reintegration requires more than shelter-  it demands education, employment, and community engagement. This project serves as a catalyst for change, fostering empowerment and sustainable development.

Located on the northern bank of the Douro River, west of the Luís 1st Bridge, the Reintegration and Development Centre occupies a site historically associated with public service. Adjacent to the S. Nicolau Wash and Bath House and St. Francis Cathedral. It builds upon the area’s legacy of providing aid. As a primary entry point into the city, the site sends a clear message: homelessness should not be ignored or stigmatized but addressed with dignity and opportunity.

The development is split into three distinct masses serving different uses: Domestic, Social and Industrial. The social space being the centre of the development, serving as the link between all masses bringing the project together. Their linear and simplistic forms reflect the surrounding street scape and integrates into the urban fabric.

The centre offers temporary accommodation, life skills training and employment opportunities, with a key initiative being the production of pop up temporary shelters which are to be distributed in Porto and beyond. The architecture balances a metallic and darker-toned exterior, creating a bold presence, with warm, exposed biogenic finishes and an exposed timber structure inside, fostering a welcoming environment.

The proposal extends the urban landscape, weaving the cities existing public circulation and the developments’ semi-public spaces together through materiality and urban pathways. The developed urban circulation space proposes urban furniture for moments of pause and reflections, making the developed streets more hospitable in contrast to the current conditions in the city. The design restores fundamental human rights privacy, safety, and dignity while challenging cities to use architecture and urban design as a tool for social resilience and reintegration.

E-mail: Shaun.McD01@gmail.com

Telephone: 07503481308