Reinterpretation of walls – Monastery library / Refectory library in Porto
City walls have changed following the transformation of Porto. As the area expands, the fortifications have taken on new roles in urban planning. Some sections have been translated into architectural structures, others have become retaining walls at the edges,
while some have been preserved as remnants of the city’s history.
The thesis will explore the challenge of ethically reinventing and repurposing the fragmented remnants of historic city walls from the current urban fabric and levels of Porto. As these pieces are scattered across the urban landscape, the thesis question arises: how can these remains be adapted to serve contemporary urban needs while respecting their historical significance?
Walls, or such materialised boundaries, can be redeveloped into inhabitable functions, similar to how architects in classical architecture reinterpreted and repurposed the concept of poche. As an architectural strategy in technical drawings, poche involves shading solid parts in dense black to represent structural elements. As a tool, it can be applied to the interplay of light and shadow between solid and void spaces. The structure’s thickness, accentuated by poche, can also function as a cavity to house specific functions within the project.
The location extends from the viewing platform of MASA, situated behind Porto Cathedral, down to the linear contour wall at a lower level. This is the gathering place of boundaries, a site marked by the stepping back of heights and the terminus of past city gates and walls.
With such playful site, the thesis will explore the feasibility of using poche as a design language to bridge boundaries and engage with social responsibility.
