anarchlab revitalizes historic stone warehouse in porto

portuguese studio anarchlab presents its newly renovated ‘edifício fábrica das devesas,’ in porto. the project is commissioned by the company fábrica de cerâmica das devesas, owner of the original structure, which functioned as a warehouse and showroom for the company’s manufactured products. the renovation is now programmed as a collection of twelve private apartments. despite being classified as a monument of public interest, the entire interior of the building was completely demolished when the project was started, maintaining only the derelict façades and roofs of the original construction.

images by ivo tavares studio

with the transformation of its edifício fábrica das devesas in porto, the design team at anarchlab respects the historical and architectural legacy of the original building. the main and east façades were completely rehabilitated without change, while the south façade, already very transformed at the time, gained prominence in the set, with a new color scheme and with the introduction of a round glass window that gives geometric balance to the whole set and reestablishes the communication with the surroundings. inside, the essence of the old stone warehouse is maintained: after the uphill journey, with a similar morphology to the original, we are welcomed by a wide and extensive common area, full of natural light, which reveals the striking height of the internal space, completely imperceptible from the street.

anarchlab expresses the rich interior qualities of its edifício fábrica das devesas in porto, especially along the top floor. here, the structure is left exposed in a language that is very raw, helping to show the metrics of the entrances to the apartments, the trajectory up to the top floor, and the modulation of the large glass skylights that let in natural light, while keeping the industrial ambiance of the old building. the apartments range in type from a loft with mezzanine at the top level, to two bedroom apartments, distributed across the two main floors. the interiors are organized through the careful distribution of simple monolithic volumes, expressed with the stone material that was once showcased throughout the warehouse.