Parque das Virtudes in Porto is a historic terraced garden overlooking the Douro River and the heritage cityscape, serving as the stage for a design intervention that fuses cultural heritage, artisanal craft, and community life. Crafted Descent is an architectural project that brings new life to this public space by embracing Porto’s longstanding traditions of tile-making and pottery, while responding thoughtfully to the site’s natural terraces and ecological character.

Thesis Statement

This thesis investigates the potential of architecture, that serve as a catalyst for cultural revival and community empowerment through the medium of craft. The central idea of the project is embedding a craft-focused communal space within the historic fabric of Porto can help reconnect people with their heritage and with one another, fostering a renewed sense of belonging and shared responsibility toward both culture and the environment.

The intervention treads lightly on the terrain, using the act of craft as both programme and process, to demonstrate how architecture can foster continuity between memory, material, and the future. It posits that as people engage with the workshops and exhibitions, a ripple effect will occur:

• Artisans gain support and have opportunities to pass on their skills to apprentices and students.
• Community members form new social connections through shared creative activity and cultural exchange.
• The park itself becomes safer, more active, and more cherished as a vibrant public space animated by constant presence and engagement