Location: Guimarães, Portugal.

Architect: CANNATÀ & FERNANDES.

The building is located in Veiga de Creixomil, Guimarães, in a sensitive area of high landscape value. It is classified as a National Ecological Reserve and is southwest of the historic city center. The terrain has a relative difference in height, a water channel, dirt trails, great visibility from surrounding areas, and close proximity to large green masses. The building is visible from the motorway, so interventions were made to ensure it stands out in the territory. The access to the laboratory is on the east, and a reception square and car park lead visitors to the main entrance. The interior was designed to enhance the spatial character of the factory typology, with an open space ready to embrace new uses and demands. The different functional modules follow the structure of the roofs to establish a balance between the different spaces and the preexistence structure. The necessary technical area for the boiler, UTAN, and water deposits is located on the east, while the existing volumes in the upper floor were rearranged and reconstructed on the west. The proposal aims to recover the architectural character of the existing building and affirm the contemporaneity of a rehabilitated building. The concept of intervention seeks to accurately identify the various intervention stages to avoid ambiguities or distortions of the building’s history. Elements in masonry stone were recovered, cleaned, and replaced, while existing volumes in brick or other materials in an advanced state of decay and new volumes were built in white concrete. Different materials were used to allow a reading of changes in time and use.

Photo credit: Dario Cannatà.