2 Gramaxo Foundation Maia Infraestruturas 2000-Presente Álvaro Siza 2021 Sat 15h Arch. Júlio Senra / Sun 15h Arch. Paisagista Rita Raimundo Located at Quinta da Boavista in the very centre of Maia, the Fundação Gramaxo has belonged to the Gramaxo family since the 17th century and preserves the rural past by maintaining the various original buildings — the Manor House (private), the Threshing Floor and Threshing House, the Caretaker’s House, the Cowshed, the Coach House (Barracão) and the Bandstand. The property’s extensive grounds have survived the pressure of property development and bear the memory of the former agricultural fields.

With the aim of opening this special place to the community, particularly the people of Maiá, and of promoting the arts and culture, the Gramaxo Foundation was established in 2013. The idea for the construction of a museum, designed by the architect Álvaro Siza, took shape and was completed in 2021. The museum houses parts of the Maria de Fátima Gramaxo Collection and also features a network of spaces hosting temporary exhibitions and an auditorium.

Fundação Gramaxo

6 Corredor do Rio Leça, Parque Ponte de Moreira Maia Infraestruturas Séc. XIX 2000-Presente Associação de Municípios, Corredor do Rio Leça; Laura Roldão séc.XIX / 2026 Sat 10h Eng. Artur Branco and Landscape Arch. Laura Roldão Costa ###NOTICE: For the safety of participants in the Open House Porto 2026, and due to the heat wave and extremely high temperatures, it will not be possible to open the Corredor do Rio Leça to the public.


The River Leça is 48 kilometres long, from its source to its mouth in Matosinhos. Considered, for decades, one of the most polluted rivers in Europe, it has, in recent years, been the focus of a major regeneration programme. In this context, in 2016, the four municipalities through which the river flows — Matosinhos, Maia, Valongo and Santo Tirso — joined forces and began working on the consolidation, strategy and definition of a plan they named the Leça Corridor, which, amongst other aspects, particularly environmental ones, seeks to promote the reconnection of communities with this important watercourse.

Graça Correia and Joel Cleto, OHP’22

7 Lionesa Business Hub Matosinhos Infraestruturas 1900-1950 2000-Presente Agostinho Ferreira de Almeida / Alexandre Burmester 1930 / 2027 ###NOTICE: For the safety of participants in the Open House Porto 2026, and due to the heat wave and extremely high temperatures, it will not be possible to open the Lionesa Business Hub to the public.


For almost 60 years, the Lionesa Business Hub was one of the country’s most notable textile companies: the Lionesa Silk Fabric Factory. With around 26,000 square metres of covered factory space, employing several hundred workers and producing over twelve million metres of fabric a year, the company, which was established here in 1948, reached its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s, and was considered at that time to be one of Portugal’s top 100 exporters, as well as a benchmark in overseas markets for its quality and production techniques. Following its bankruptcy, the potential of this site’s identity was recognised, alongside its enviable strategic location.

Lionesa Business Hub

9 Former Matosinhos Refinery Matosinhos Infraestruturas 1950-2000 Foster Wheeler Corporation e Cia. Portuguesa de Petróleos 1966 IMPORTANT: Visitors (including children) must provide identification (name and ID number). Guided tours will take place by bus; we recommend that you arrive at least 30 minutes before the tour start time. Registration is on-site, subject to availability, and on a first-come, first-served basis. Sat and Sun 10h, 11h30, 14h30, 16h António Paulo Silva, José Augusto Gonçalves, Celeste Varum (Galp) ###NOTICE: For the safety of participants in the Open House Porto 2026, and due to the heat wave and extremely high temperatures, it will not be possible to open the Former Matosinhos Refinery to the public.


The former Galp refinery in Matosinhos, whose buildings feature the architectural style of the Estado Novo era, was built in the late 1960s and officially opened in 1970. In an industrial estate covering some 240 hectares, several specialised engineering plants ensured the refining of oil and the supply of essential raw materials to the country for over half a century. These guided tours offer the opportunity to explore the refinery from the inside, which is now decommissioned and undergoing demolition. Galp will drive the regeneration of this vast area of Matosinhos in close collaboration with Matosinhos Municipal Council, the CCDR-N and other local and national bodies, with a view to building a new ecosystem dedicated to innovation, technology and the energies of the future. This is a legacy that the company aims to leave to the region and the country, in what is intended to be the largest and most significant urban regeneration project in Portugal over the coming decades.

Galp

10 Titan from the Port of Leixões Matosinhos Infraestruturas Séc. XIX 2000-Presente Officines de Fives-Lille 1885 / 2021 NOTICE: Access to Titan is subject to favorable weather conditions; Titan is not accessible to people with limited mobility. ###NOTICE: For the safety of participants in the Open House Porto 2026, and due to the heat wave and extremely high temperatures, it will not be possible to open the Titan from the Porf of Leixões to the public.


The Titan is a large, century-old iron crane, the only one of its kind in the world, which had a lifting capacity of 50 tonnes of stone and enabled the construction of what is now one of the largest ports on the Iberian Peninsula and the country’s largest artificial port. It was restored in 2020/2021 and is an integral part of the history and identity of the Port of Leixões, the city of Matosinhos and Portugal’s industrial heritage.

APDL

11 Leixões Port Customs Office Matosinhos Infraestruturas 1900-1950 2000-Presente _ / Álvaro Siza c. 1915 / 2001 When I lived in Leixões
in the silence of the night I could hear the sea
or the siren on a foggy night
I could make out the lighthouse beams
piercing the white foam
and the wake of the trawlers
How many sleepless nights, with the sea in the distance

 Álvaro Siza, Porto, 21st June 2021

3 Outeiro - Lugar Comum, Cooperativa de Habitação Maia Habitação 2000-Presente Experimental em curso Sun 10h Archs. Elói Gonçalves (Experimental) and Conceição Melo (Outeiro - Lugar Comum, Housing Cooperative) The Outeiro - Lugar Comum, Cooperativa de Habitação, with technical support from the CDRN of the Portuguese Architects’ Association, organised a competition to develop an architectural design for a housing development in Maia, in the Outeiro area (Vermoim).

The main objective of this private design competition was to identify a set of design solutions that would provide an appropriate and well-considered response to the urban, landscape and architectural challenges involved in the construction of a residential complex, comprising buildings to be refurbished, new-builds, and communal facilities, to be managed as a housing co-operative.

Following the launch of the Design Competition

18 Former Aleixo Neighbourhood Porto Habitação 1950-2000 2000-Presente Manuel Teles 1974 / 2019 Sat 12h, Screening of the movie "A Nossa Terra, o Nosso Altar", by André Guiomar + 14h Sociologist João Queirós + 15h, 16h30, Archs. Manuel Correia Fernandes and Vítor Alves The Aleixo neighbourhood was built in the 1970s with the aim of temporarily rehousing the urban population of Ribeira-Barredo. Initially, Aleixo was acclaimed and publicised as a unique and innovative experiment in the city of Porto: for its high-rise construction, its location overlooking the river, and the proposed facilities to support the blocks (although some were never built). The design and layout of the development complied with the 1962 Master Plan, which the French urban planner Robert Auzelle, at the invitation of Porto City Council, had drawn up for what was then the city’s outskirts. Today, we see history repeating itself.  Over the years, the neighbourhood gradually began to be ‘demonised’, defamed, stigmatised and demoralised for the reasons we all know, to the point where demolition came to be seen as ‘the’ panacea and, consequently, gained strong public support.   Adapted from Ana Lima, ‘Aleixo: o Ínicio do Fim’, Revista Punkto Seven years after the final demolition work on the towers, the site of the former Aleixo neighbourhood remains in a state of limbo, weighed down by a profound sense of loss.  Francisco Ascensão and Maria Souto de Moura, OHP’26 curators

22 House in the former Parnaso Music School Porto Habitação 1950-2000 2000-Presente José Carlos Loureiro / José Carlos Loureiro 1956 / 2017-2022 Sat 15h, Arch. Luís Urbano When we decided to purchase and restore the property, our initial motivation was, above all, to carry out a heritage conservation project. The aim was to restore the building to its original identity by reinstating materials, structural elements and spatial features that had been altered over time, whilst at the same time adapting it to contemporary housing requirements through minimal interventions that would not detract from the original architectural design.

Architect José Carlos Loureiro, who had designed the building in the late 1950s and possessed a deep understanding of its architectural and heritage value, was invited to lead this project. His involvement took on a particularly special significance, as it allowed him to return to a building he had designed more than half a century after its construction, whilst also taking responsibility for its conversion into housing, always in keeping with the principles that underpinned the original design.

Commenting on this collaboration, José Carlos Loureiro said: ‘I agreed to take part in this collaboration in the belief that I was making a tangible contribution to the ption of a building regarded as a prime example of modernism in this country.’ .

Isabel Abreu and Paulo Vinhas

23 Aquário Porto Habitação 1950-2000 2000-Presente _ / Artur Magalhães Alves e Frederico Almeida 1968 / 2020 Sat and Sun 10h, 10h30, 11h, 11h30, 12h, 12h30, 13h, 13h30 / Sat 18h, 18h30, 19h, 19h30, 20h, 20h30, 21h, 21h30, Arch. Artur Magalhães Alves A trimmings factory dating from 1968 has been converted into a home-studio for two creative professionals. The conversion breaks away from the usual sequence of rooms found in a house to propose an open sequence of activities, where domestic life, art and creative production coexist.

The industrial space is divided by a recessed glass wall, creating a threshold that organises the living area. The removal of the existing roof creates a south-facing courtyard, allowing sunlight to enter. This intervention reveals an imposing metal structure that lends scale and presence, yet is repurposed for a delicate function, now embraced by climbing plants. It is a place that does not announce itself to the street, but is to be discovered as architecture of silent transformation, where the productive past is rendered intimate, fertile and habitable.

Adapted from Artur Magalhães Alves

24 Paranhos II Porto Habitação 1950-2000 2000-Presente _ / Atelier Local e Francisco Craveiro 1968 / 2025 Sat and Sun 10h, 10h30, 11h, 12h, 12h30, 13h, 13h30, Arch. Francisco Craveiro / Sat and Sun 11h30, Archs. João Paupério and Maria Rebelo (atelier local) Transforming the space of a former car workshop into a home opens up new possibilities for domestic architecture, provided that the building is not understood as such. In other words, if we start from the premise that we do not strive in vain to force the images, precepts and forms of dwelling that we have inherited—now set in stone—into an uninhabitable space. Ultimately, if a home is not a house, as Reyner Banham wrote in 1965. To a certain extent, when considered as a fragment of a wider city, the house is nothing more than a shelter to protect its inhabitants from the elements, satisfy their most immediate physiological needs, or ensure the inconveniences of privacy. From this perspective, the existing space of this former garage possesses as much strangeness as it does suitability and, above all, a generosity that is increasingly absent from the minimal existence offered to us today by the property market.

atelier local

30 Barros Lima Porto Habitação 1950-2000 2000-Presente _ / Experimental 1982 / 2021 -2025 Sun 12h, 13h, 14h, 15h, 16h, 17h Arch. Elói Gonçalves (Experimental) What was once a pharmaceutical office has been converted into a residence. The project takes advantage of the ground floor’s elevated level in relation to the street, whilst the basement opens out onto a spacious concrete courtyard. Partial demolition was used strategically to shape the site and introduce topographical variations — an attempt to bring a fragment of the hillside into the urban fabric.

The original concrete structure remains exposed, embraced as an expressive and structural element. The façade appears to have been erected upon a pre-existing structure: from the old house emerges a new composition, characterised by a double-height glazed section that contrasts with the small upper openings, remnants of the original building. The complex takes on an ambiguous, almost animal-like presence — with visible ‘legs’ and a retracted body — suggesting an organism caught between the past and its new inhabited form.

Experimental

31 variations in a box Porto Habitação 2000-Presente fala atelier 2016 - 2026 Sat and Sun 14h, 14h30, 15h, 15h30, 16h, 16h30, 17h, 17h30 / Sat 18h, 18h30 fala atelier The neighbourhood combines residential and industrial buildings. A new transport hub is being built nearby. The residential building was designed within the footprint of the former factory, whilst adhering to the imposed constraints. The tension between domesticity and industrial scale guides the project. The building measures 10x39x8m, with three open façades. It is divided into almost identical flats, facing a south-facing garden. The repetition is broken up by spatial variations: high ceilings, curves, rotations, imperfections. Simple materials clad the façades. To the south, there are industrial references; the end façades are abstract. From the motorway, one catches a glimpse of a cat: domestic, yet wild.

fala atelier

34 Lucas Reiner House Porto Habitação 1950-2000 2000-Presente _ / Gørvell séc XX /2020-2024 Sat 10h, 10h30, 11h, 11h30, 12h, 12h30, 13h, Archs. Pedro Gørvell, Luísa Sarmento and Nuno Sarmento When we analyse, examine and transform the material, we discover concrete ideas within it; we listen to the originality of the questions it poses to the world; and we set out to intervene in the genesis of the possibilities it holds within itself.

The regeneration of this house in Baixa, Porto, involved the restoration and an attempt to make full use of the materials from which it was built, through the introduction of a crushing machine capable of transforming demolition waste; using minimal processing techniques, this machine produces new materials for reconstruction.

From Without Walls, Gørvell, 2024

37 Duque de Palmela Apartment Porto Habitação 2000-Presente Diogo Nogueira 2025 Sat 17h, 17h30, 18h, 18h30 / Sun 16h30, 17h, 17h30, Arch. Diogo Nogueira **NOTICE:** Due to the heat wave and extremely high temperatures, visitors should be aware that the Duque de Palmela Apartment is located on the 4th floor and does not have an elevator.

In August 2024, the flat was in such a state of disrepair that it required extensive renovation. The intention was clear: to knock down the wall separating the living room from the bedroom in order to do away with the existing layout.

The wall was demolished; however, over the following months the project remained on hold, and the process of living in the house with only the bare essentials began.

Painting one wall red, to capture the direct light of the winter sunset, served as the guiding principle in defining the colour palette. Taking Le Corbusier’s 1931 colour catalogue as a starting point, a series of decisions followed, based on the layout, orientation and intended use.

Colour is not treated as a temporary finish, but as a tool for experimentation: a way of testing hierarchies, boundaries, continuities and differences within a house yet to be built.

Diogo Nogueira

1 Environmental Education School Maia Equipamentos 1950-2000 2000-Presente João Álvaro Rocha Séc.XX / 2001 Sun 10h, Arch. Alberto Vieira The work carried out on the grounds and building of Quinta da Gruta is not a restoration, let alone a conservation project. More than a simple refurbishment, it is a reconversion in which it was necessary to remove, reposition and redefine, as a means of erasing the traces of successive interventions which, over time, had been superimposed upon one another without any coherence or connection between them.

It is on this premise that the entire design process focuses on an almost ‘archaeological’ exploration of the site – not as a means of restoring its past, but, on the contrary, in order to recognise its essence, to rediscover its relationships with these interventions and, building on them, to establish a conceptual framework capable of transforming it into ‘material’ for other spaces and other buildings.

João Álvaro Rocha, Arquitetos, s.a.

4 Quinta dos Cónegos Maia Equipamentos Séc. XVI-VXIII 1950-2000 - / António Pinto Leite e Pais de Figueiredo Séc. XVIII / 1996 Guided tours are limited to the garden areas. Sat and Sun 11h, Dr. Rui Teles de Menezes (History Office of the Maia City Council) The Quinta dos Cónegos house was built between 1727 and 1737 in the Baroque style, strongly influenced by the Nasoni school. From the same period, there are several sculptural elements characteristic of the Baroque style, attributed to Nasoni.

The restoration and interior design project was led by architect António Pinto Leite, in collaboration with architect Pais de Figueiredo and engineer Santos Farinha. Under the auspices of FRESS, the house is regaining its former splendour and now showcases the foundation’s finest collections. In 2017, Quinta dos Cónegos was acquired by Maia Municipal Council.

Based on the text by VisitMaia

5 Venepor Shopping Centre and Municipal Cinema Auditorium Maia Equipamentos 1950-2000 - 1983 Admission to the Venepor Municipal Cinema Auditorium is limited to guided tours with commentary. Sat 10h, 11h, 12h e Sun, 10h, 12h Cineclube da Maia (The tour includes a short film screening - See Plus) / Sun 11h City Councilwoman Marta Peneda (granddaughter of a Venepor Building founder) The Venepor Shopping Centre, part of a complex of the same name comprising housing, services and retail outlets, opened in the 1980s, alongside many other shopping centres of a similar scale that were built across the country. From the 1990s onwards, these facilities came under pressure from large-scale shopping centres, which still dominate consumer habits today.

The former Venepor Cinema, which opened when the shopping centre was launched, faced competition from the cinemas within these new large-scale developments and eventually closed; it was subsequently acquired by Maia Municipal Council to be used as the Municipal Auditorium.

Since 2009, the venue has been home to the Maia Film Club, which organises fortnightly film screenings and other events throughout the year, and is one of the city’s most active cultural associations.

Francisco Ascensão and Maria Souto de Moura, OHP’26 curators

8 Leça do Balio Monastery and Temple Matosinhos Equipamentos Até Séc. XVI Séc. XVI-VXIII 2000-Presente _ / - / Álvaro Siza Séc. X / Séc. XIV / 2024 Sat 11h,16h and Sun 16h, Livraria Lello Foundation Assistants / Sun 11h Arch. António Choupina ###NOTICE: For the safety of participants in the Open House Porto 2026, and due to the heat wave and extremely high temperatures, it will not be possible to open the Leça do Balio Monastery and Temple to the public.


A National Monument since 1910 and a historic landmark on the Way of St James, the Monastery of Leça do Balio is now the headquarters of the Livraria Lello Foundation and a vibrant cultural hub. Its regeneration, led by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Álvaro Siza Vieira and landscape architect Sidónio Pardal, has preserved its architectural authenticity whilst incorporating new spaces for contemplation, art and culture. The built heritage of the Livraria Lello Foundation also includes the ‘Temple’, a unique work by Siza Vieira and an ecumenical space focused on the themes of contemplation and spirituality. The Garden of Thought is the Livraria Lello Foundation’s most recent visitor attraction, the result of a landscape project jointly designed by Siza Vieira and Sidónio Pardal.

With deep roots in history and a vision focused on the future, this tangible heritage is today a space for encounter, reflection and cultural transformation. The Livraria Lello Foundation has taken on the mission of preserving, promoting and sharing this heritage with the world, thereby reinforcing the role of Northern Portugal on the European cultural map.

Fundação Livraria Lello

12 Roberto Ivens House Matosinhos Equipamentos Séc. XIX 1900-1950 2000-Presente _ / Álvaro Siza Séc. XIX / 1961 / 2009 / 2022 Sat 11h, 15h, Arch. Luana Santos / Sun 11h Arch. Júlio Senra, 15h Professor Tereza Siza and Arch. José Salgado In the centre of Matosinhos, we can still find many examples of bourgeois houses in the Porto style, or variations thereof, built between the 19th century and the early 20th century. The Roberto Ivens House is one such house — with the distinction of having been refurbished by Siza himself as a home for his parents in 1961, initiating a harmonious dialogue between the old and the new that reveals the architect’s critical and precocious sensibility.

In 2022, the family home of the architect Álvaro Siza, located on Rua Roberto Ivens, was handed over by Matosinhos Municipal Council to Casa da Arquitetura to establish the ‘Residências da Casa’ programme there.

To adapt the building to its new role as an artists’ residence, refurbishment works were carried out by the local authority, under the close supervision of Álvaro Siza. The renovation preserved the essence of the original design, keeping the memory of the house alive whilst equipping it with the necessary facilities to accommodate its temporary residents.

Casa da Arquitetura

13 Casa da Arquitetura Matosinhos Equipamentos 1900-1950 2000-Presente Eng. António da Silva / Guilherme Machado Vaz 1901 / 2017 Sat 11h Lucio Costa Archive Exhibition (Educational Service Team), 15h Arch. Carla Barros (Casa da Arquitetura: spaces and mission), 16h CA's Archive, Arch. Filipe Silva / Dom 11h CA's Quarter (Educational Service Team), 16h CA's Archive, Arch. Filipe Silva, 18h Arch. Guilherme Machado Vaz Casa da Arquitetura is the only Portuguese institution dedicated exclusively to architecture that combines, simultaneously, a number of functions: regular exhibitions; the collection and conservation of archives; the promotion of the study and research of architects’ work; raising awareness amongst all sections of the public of the role of architecture; and the promotion of architectural tourism as a strategic national asset. Located in Matosinhos, the Casa da Arquitetura occupies a restored heritage complex comprising the former Quarteirão da Real Vinícola, covering a total area of five thousand square metres. It is now an indispensable feature of the architectural, cultural and tourist scene in the city of Matosinhos, the Porto region and the country as a whole — an award-winning and remarkable example of industrial heritage regeneration, designed by the architect Guilherme Machado Vaz.  Casa da Arquitetura

14 Former Vasco da Gama Canning Factory Matosinhos Equipamentos 1900-1950 2000-Presente _ / Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos c. 1920 / 2023 The building of the former Vasco da Gama Factory, located on Rua Sousa Aroso, was built in the 1960s and housed sheet metal working, lithography and sales departments. This industrial facility remained in operation until 1995, when it ceased trading for good.

Today, the building is known as the Exhibition Pavilion of the Former Vasco da Gama Factory. Restored by Matosinhos City Council, it has been transformed into a multifunctional space for cultural events, exhibitions and creative initiatives.

Francisco Ascensão and Maria Souto Moura, OHP’26 curators

15 Quinta de São Gens Matosinhos Equipamentos Séc. XVI-VXIII Nicolau Nasoni e Ilídio de Araújo Séc. XVIII Sat 11h Joel Cleto The Casa e Quinta de São Gens comprises an estate of around 6.5 hectares, centred on an 18th-century mansion designed by Nicolau Nasoni, featuring a central tower, an adjoining Baroque garden, a woodland and a complex of modern and contemporary buildings constructed by the State as part of the establishment of the former Porto (or Douro Litoral) Agricultural Station and, subsequently, the now-defunct Northern Regional Directorate of Agriculture.

Owned by the State, the Casa e Quinta de São Gens is currently managed by CCDR-NORTE, which has established its new Culture Unit in the mansion; the estate also hosts services provided by the Agriculture Unit and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests.

Câmara Municipal de Matosinhos

16 Serralves Villa Porto Equipamentos 1900-1950 2000-Presente Charles Siclis / José Marques da Silva / Álvaro Siza / Álvaro Siza c. 1930 / 1944 / 2004 / 2021 Sat and Sun 10h, 11h, 12h, 13h, 14h, 15h Serralves' Educators / Sat 16h, Teresa Patrício Gouveia / Sun 16h, Arch. António Choupina Originally conceived as a private residence, the Casa de Serralves and its surrounding grounds were the result of a project commissioned by the second Count of Vizela, Carlos Alberto Cabral (1895–1968), for the site of what had been the family’s summer estate on the outskirts of Porto. Designed and built between 1925 and 1944, the house is considered the most notable example of an Art Deco building in Portugal and was listed as a Property of Public Interest in 1996.

In 1987, the Portuguese State acquired the property from the heirs of Delfim Ferreira with the intention of establishing a museum of modern art there. The House was opened to the public that same year as a venue for exhibitions of modern and contemporary art until the opening, in 1999, of the new Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by the architect Álvaro Siza.

Adapted from the Serralves Foundation website

17 Lordelo do Ouro Co-operative Porto Equipamentos 1950-2000 Álvaro Siza 1963 Sat 14h, 15h, Arch. Vincenzo Rizo / Sun 10h, 11h, Arch. André Fernandes, 14h, 15h, João Francisco Sousa The cooperative’s headquarters was designed by the architect Álvaro Siza in 1959 and opened in 1963.

The use of a concrete structure allowed for a free-flowing spatial design, the architecture of which reflected a multi-sectoral organisational logic, in keeping with the cooperative’s various activities: consumer services, services, culture and recreation. From the early 1990s onwards, the upper floors, dedicated to social and cultural activities, were kept closed.

Amidst the successive layers of occupation and the spaces that remain in limbo, the building retains its original purpose. Within this balance, the void emerges as a reservoir of possibilities, a space of memory and projection, open to new forms of interpretation and reinterpretation. It is in this context that, in January 2026, a group of cooperative members organised themselves to ensure the continuity of self-service retail activity and to revive, through revitalisation, the social, cultural and community vocation embedded in the architecture of this complex.

Board of the Lordelo do Ouro Cooperative

20 E-learning Café Botânico (Salabert House) Porto Equipamentos Séc. XIX 2000-Presente Eng. José Estevão Parada e Silva Leitão / Nuno Valentim 1897 / 2017 Sat 16h and Sun 11h Arch. Margarida Carvalho Casa Salabert is situated in the Porto Botanical Gardens and is thought to have been one of the first buildings on the estate from which it originated. In the course of successive adaptations to new uses, the house underwent various alterations and extensions that profoundly transformed it, removing elements of architectural value. Some structural components from the original building remained, which the proposal sought to integrate and harmonise with the new programme — the University’s new study and e-learning space.

Following a careful process of analysis, inspection and assessment, and based on a critical review of previous interventions in the House, the discordant extensions of poor construction quality were removed, with the proposal that the House should revert to its 1925 form (documented in the archives of the University of Porto).

Without altering the primary structure (mixed stone masonry) or the secondary structures that still remained (timber structures on some floors and the roof), the interior spaces were freed up to accommodate the various study rooms — each with its own distinct atmosphere, shaped by the architectural and structural characteristics of the existing building itself.

Nuno Valentim Arquitectura Lda

21 Hall of Biodiversity (Andresen House) Porto Equipamentos Séc. XIX 2000-Presente Nuno Valentim 1875 / 2017 Sat 14h Arch. Nuno Valentim, 15h Landscape Arch. Paulo Farinha Marques (Visit to the Botanical Garden of the University of Porto), 16h Dir. Maria João Fonseca / Sun 14h, Arch. Frederico Eça Casa Andresen is a unique building from an architectural point of view and exceptional in terms of its interior space, natural lighting, scale and relationship with its surroundings — the Botanical Garden of the University of Porto.

It is situated on Rua do Campo Alegre — an old road running parallel to the River Douro that once linked the city centre to the sea — and has a gross floor area of 2,300 m² spread over three storeys.

The garden area in which it is currently situated covers 43,000 m², forming part of a complex of buildings that includes the former caretaker’s house — Casa Salabert — and a group of greenhouses.

Nuno Valentim Arquitectura Lda

25 Ribadouro School Porto Equipamentos 2000-Presente Sofia Passos Santos 2019 -presente Sat 11h, 16h30 and Sun 11h, Arch. Sofia Santos / Sun 12h, Arch. Sofia Miranda Intervening in established contexts requires the ability to reinterpret what already exists and propose a new interpretation of the place.

The New Ribadouro College Complex is based on this premise, exploring architecture as a means of linking the city, the programme, the user and the community.

The project involves the reconstruction of a building originally intended for residential use, which was used for several years by social security services, as well as the refurbishment of two retail units on the ground floor and basement level of the adjacent building, thereby creating a new campus for the school with access via Rua das Doze Casas. The courtyard establishes a direct link to the existing school complex, enhancing the interior of the block and consolidating it as a single, continuous school campus.

From Sofia Santos

26 Galeria Nuno Centeno Porto Equipamentos 1900-1950 2000-Presente André Gonçalves 1914 / 2009 Sat and Sun 15h, Archs. Amélia Brandão Costa and Matilde Seabra / Sat and Sun 16h, Arch. André Gonçalves The Nuno Centeno Gallery is located within the Cooperativa dos Pedreiros complex on Rua da Alegria in Porto. The history of this stonemasons’ cooperative dates back to 1914, and it is renowned for having constructed some of Porto’s most iconic buildings, such as S. Bento Railway Station and Porto City Hall.

The building that now houses the gallery once served as a workshop, where blocks of stone, such as granite and marble, were cut to size and decorated with carved ornamentation. Although it retains some of its original features, the space has undergone several transformations to adapt this former warehouse into the gallery we know today.

Adapted from Galeria Nuno Centeno

27 ESAP - Escola Superior Artística do Porto Porto Equipamentos 2000-Presente Fátima Fernandes, Michele Cannatà e João Carreira 2020 Sat and Sun 10h, 11h, 12h, 14h, 15h, 16h, 17h, Cannatà Fernandes Set within a newly emerging centre, ESAP’s recently relocated headquarters establishes a strong sense of continuity with its 40-year history, in an area characterised by the presence of the Soares dos Reis School and the Faculty of Fine Arts, thereby consolidating its position as a hub for artistic education in the metropolitan area and the Northern region.

Whilst, in the past, the ‘School’ played a crucial role in contributing to the vitality of its former historic and run-down neighbourhood — both physically and socially — today, the new facility comes to life following the regeneration and restoration of a unique, formerly derelict industrial site in the eastern part of the city. This relocation is the result of the ongoing urban regeneration at its former site, driven by the strong economic response to the redevelopment of residential and commercial buildings, as well as the development of other activities.

Cannatà Fernandes

28 M-odu Porto Equipamentos 1900-1950 2000-Presente Eng.º Monteiro de Andrade/Kengo Kuma e OODA 1910 / 2022 - presente Safety equipment (provided by the organization) and closed-toe shoes are required. Admission is limited to those 12 years of age and older. Sun 14h 15h, Arch. João Styliano (OODA) / 16h, 17h, Arch. Miguel Rebelo (KKAA) The Porto Industrial Slaughterhouse, surrounded by industrial and residential developments that are the legacy of successive transformations and demolitions, now addresses functional bottlenecks at ground level and visual obstructions at higher levels. Devalued by the construction of the Via de Cintura Interna, the division from the Estádio do Dragão and the Metro is bridged by a crossing offering a view of the artificial, environmentally designed morphology over the abattoir, extending into the Campanhã valley. The functional blending of the structures that formed part of the former abattoir is unified by the access hub and the crossing described above. The sculpted, perforated roof complements the existing diversity and complexity, providing a shaded unity and coherence that covers the voids between the volumes. A shared public identity is created between the different sides of the city through social and cultural programme integration.

João Paulo Rapagão

29 Todos Porto Equipamentos 1950-2000 2000-Presente Vasco Mendes e Miguel Reimão Pinto / Mero Oficina 1963 / 1991 / 2026 Sat 14h30 / Sun 10h30 merooficina TODOS is Domus Social’s workshop and community centre, situated at the entrance to one of Porto’s most densely populated neighbourhoods, the Cerco neighbourhood. It is a place for learning and sharing, created following a major refurbishment carried out by the municipal company using funds from the PRR.

The TODOS regeneration project was developed by the architectural practice merooficina. Among other aspects, particularly those relating to accessibility, thermal comfort and usability, the intervention gave the building a fresh new look with the introduction of ‘tijolo de burro’ and new shutter systems that emphasised the symmetry and monolithic character of this institutional building.

The creation of this almost hermetic structure, capable of closing in on itself, has produced a sort of shell-like building that opens up to foster a more direct relationship with the community: ‘a house that opens its doors’.

This refurbishment formed part of a broader application by the Municipality of Porto to the Operação Integrada do Território de Intervenção (PAOITI) AMP - Centro Oriental, which aligns with the objectives of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) for the National Strategy to Combat Poverty and the Action Plan for Disadvantaged Communities in the Porto Metropolitan Area (PACD-AMP).

Domus Social

32 Quinta do Mitra Porto Equipamentos Séc. XVI-VXIII 2000-Presente _ / Nuno Brandão Costa 1732 / 2016-2022 Sat 11h, Arch. Cátia Meirinhos (Executive Counsil STCP Services) / Sun 10h, 11h Elsa Marques da Silva and Cristiano Cardoso (historians) The development, still known as Quinta do Mitra, forms an integral part of the Campanhã Intermodal Terminal (TIC) project.

The pre-existing building, part of a large estate which, over time, has been successively and very closely surrounded by major transport infrastructure (railway, VCI and now the TIC), had been abandoned, rendered non-functional, in ruins and in an advanced state of structural decay, on the verge of collapse.

The architectural proposal focused on the complete ption of the existing stone walls, retaining their found condition and appearance of ruin, whilst reconfiguring the spaces for a new, multi-purpose functional programme, transforming it into a municipal services building that meets the new spatial, construction and infrastructure requirements.

Based on the text by Nuno Brandão Costa

33 Galeria Ocupa Porto Equipamentos 1950-2000 2000-Presente _ / Alexandre Teixeira, FIlipa Valente c. 1970 / 2025 Sat 15h, 16h, 17h, 18h, Galeria Ocupa The OCUPA gallery is housed in a former butcher’s shop. The project reimagines the concept of a gallery, drawing inspiration from the raw surroundings. A group of artists and friends embody the determination to survive and support the occupants of this space.

Galeria Ocupa

35 Pires de Lima School Porto Equipamentos 1950-2000 Augusto Pereira Brandão 1972 Visits every 30 minutes guided by OHP’26 volunteers, Professor Rita Valinho, and Ana Buçard, Annye Carneiro, Beatriz Silva, Catarina Moreira, Danna Valencia, Flávia Vilela, Joana Couceiro, Leonor Neve, Luana Pinto, Sofia Silveira, Thalita Nascimento, and Verónica Ferreira—students at the Porto Psychosocial School (EPTPP). The Pires de Lima school comprises blocks interconnected in various ways, with outdoor spaces always providing direct access to the classrooms – one of the model’s most striking features – whilst also incorporating a difference in level relative to the street via a large embankment. On the grounds of saving on labour costs, neither the reinforced concrete structure nor the external brick walls have any finish, much like the schools built in the post-war United Kingdom.

In recent years, due to the complex’s advanced state of disrepair, its future has been under discussion by the local council.

Based on a text by Pedro Treno for Porto Brutalista

36 STOP Shopping Centre Porto Equipamentos 1900-1950 1950-2000 Eugénio Alves de Sousa 1949 / 1982 Sáb 16h, 17h, 18h, 19h, Rui Guerra (Musicians Cultural Association STOP Commercial Centre) and Arch. João Paulo Rapagão CCSTOP holds significant cultural value for the municipality of Porto, as it stands as an undeniable symbol of the city’s music scene, regarded as one of the most distinctive examples of musical production and dynamism in Europe. This building, eroded by time which has failed to revitalise it, is understood as the product of a range of disparate factors, both material and immaterial: the resilient capacity of an architecture whose modern formal essence has been transformed from a petrol station into a shopping centre, which is now, in turn, being recast as a cultural hub – a civilisational process and project that is still taking shape.

The functional transformation that the building has undergone is contextualised within the conceptual genesis of its modern ‘open-plan’ architecture, which allowed the space to be appropriated in an unusual, symbiotic relationship – first between the car park and retail, and subsequently with the creative output of musicians – an immateriality that has become interwoven with the materiality of the shopping centre.

Porto Municipal City Council – Call for Applications: Classification as a Monument of Municipal Interest

38 Abrigo dos Pequeninos Porto Equipamentos 1900-1950 2000-Presente Rogério de Azevedo / depA Architects 1933 - 1935 / 2018 - 2024 Sun 12h, depA architects The Abrigo dos Pequeninos was designed by Rogério de Azevedo in 1933 and built in 1935 in the heart of Praça da Alegria, in Porto, to serve as a crèche and dispensary.

The proposal arose from the need to reconcile three distinct phases: Rogério de Azevedo’s original design, the alterations the building has undergone over time, and its adaptation to its intended new use as municipal reserves of the Culture, Heritage and Literature Department.

The layout of the programme seeks to make the most of the building’s configuration, whilst avoiding any alteration to its compositional framework.

The new elements are designed to match, in their materialisation, the heavy stone walls that define both the building’s structure and the framework of its programme. It is believed that, within this strategy, the building remains open to new interpretations, increasing the likelihood that it will survive beyond the lifespan of this new use.

From depA architects

39 Alfândega's Rail Branch Line Porto Equipamentos Séc. XIX Gustave Eiffel 1877 É obrigatório o uso de equipamento de segurança (fornecido pela organização) e de calçado fechado. A entrada é limitada a maiores de 12 anos. Sun 18h, Arch. Pedro Bandeira The D. Maria Pia Bridge (1877, designed by Gustave Eiffel and Théophile Seyrig) and the Porto Customs House Railway Branch Line (1888, designed by Justino Teixeira and Mendes Guerreiro) are two pieces of infrastructure that bear witness to the country’s modernisation and the city’s industrialisation in the late 19th century. These remarkable engineering feats were decommissioned in the early 1990s, fell into disrepair due to a lack of maintenance, and were consigned to oblivion. The land on the Douro escarpment where the branch line and the bridge stand had become wasteland, a rubbish dump and areas of substandard housing prone to landslides. More recently, the CMP has begun work to stabilise and clear the escarpment, whilst simultaneously launching a debate on the future of these two structures, which offer a privileged view over the Douro.

Pedro Bandeira


NOTICE: This area is not accessible to people with limited mobility. Closed-toe, comfortable shoes are required. Due to high temperatures, visitors are advised to bring a hat and water.

40 CACE Cultural do Porto Porto Equipamentos 1950-2000 Januário Godinho / Guilherme Machado Vaz c. 1960 Sun 10h, 14h, Ana Carvalhosa (Circolando - Central Elétrica) / Sun 11h30. Arch. Inês Moreira CACE Cultural do Porto is a business start-up support centre, comprising 16 offices spread over two floors, housed in buildings that formerly formed part of the Freixo thermal power station. It was designed to accommodate new businesses in the cultural and artistic sectors, whilst also facilitating cultural events.

Currently, the space hosts the CRL – Central Elétrica and Teatro Experimental do Porto projects, establishing itself as a major hub for artistic creation in the city.

Francisco Ascensão and Maria Souto de Moura, OHP26 curators

41 Banco de Materiais Porto Equipamentos Séc. XVI-VXIII Séc. XIX 2000-Presente _ / _ / Ivo Poças Martins séc. XVIII / séc XIX / 2025 Sat 10h Arq. Ivo Poças Martins / Sun 10h, Maria Augusta Marques Martins (Banco de Materiais) The Palacete dos Viscondes de Balsemão, a building which also houses the Municipal Department of Culture, Heritage and Literature of Porto City Council, is home to the Building Materials Bank and the Triplex.

The mansion was built in the mid-18th century by the nobleman José Alvo Brandão, inherited by the Balsemão family and leased in the 1840s by António Bernardino Peixe to establish a guesthouse there. Extensive renovation work took place in the following decade, following its acquisition by the 1st Viscount of Trindade, José António de Sousa Basto, giving it its current appearance.

The Materials Bank is housed in this building. Open to the public since 2010, it promotes the ption of materials that characterise the city’s image, collecting them from dilapidated buildings, those due for demolition or alteration, with the aim of later returning them to the city.

The Triplex comprises a set of three exhibition rooms on the ground floor.

Adapted from the Porto Museum

42 Centro de Criação Almada (former Mala Voadora) Porto Equipamentos 1900-1950 2000-Presente Júlio José de Brito / José Capela e Paulo Monteiro c. 1930 / 2013 Sat 10h30, Arch. José Capela The building is situated at numbers 277 and 283 Rua do Almada, just a few metres from Porto City Hall. Júlio José de Brito, a renowned architect and engineer from Porto, designed it in the late 1930s (at the same time as he was also designing the Rivoli Theatre) to serve as a warehouse for iron and steel. It is an unusual building in the city’s context – an explicitly modernist structure set amongst the traditional housing of Porto’s city centre.

The building is suitable for a wide range of uses and comprises: a black-box theatre with a retractable seating area seating 50 people; a multi-purpose hall with a bar area; the ‘Piscina’ – a multi-purpose terrace with a lounge area; and two self-contained studios, each capable of accommodating up to four people.

The building currently belongs to the Porto Network of Arts Centres, an initiative from the Porto City Counsil.

From the Mala Voadora website

43 Palácio do Bolhão - ACE Porto Equipamentos Séc. XVI-VXIII 2000-Presente - / José Gigante, João Gomes e Manuel Fernando Santos 1844 / 2015 Sat 11h, 15h, Rosa Bessa (producer) / Sun 11h, Rosa Bessa, 15h, Arch. José Gigante The project embodies a guiding principle that reflects some of our thinking on how to approach the restoration of buildings: the pursuit of architectural integrity.

However, renovation also necessarily involves infrastructure requirements, this being one of the most delicate aspects of the operation; the project therefore seeks to ensure that the elements inherent to such installations are as discreet as possible. This is only made possible by the construction of a narrow building attached to the west gable of the Palace, where the infrastructure is concentrated; from there, the utility networks run into the Palace via routes housed within its floors, thus avoiding interference with walls and ceilings.

Completing the scheme, the new Studio Room is situated at the rear of the Palace, built upon the structure of the now-abandoned lithography workshop. It forms an open, multi-purpose space, separated from the main building by an open area that allows the Palace’s rear façade to be viewed in its full height.

José Gigante

44 A PiSCiNA Porto Equipamentos 1900-1950 2000-Presente _ / A PiSCiNA 1904 / 2020 Sat 15h, Maria Inês Silva - A PiSCiNA PISCINA is an unconventional space, created by three friends, which embraces art in its many forms and connects the community with artistic creation.

PISCINA arose from the desire of three friends — two dancers and an actress — to create a personal space for work and experimentation. This idea quickly evolved into a broader project, harnessing the potential of an empty swimming pool in the centre of Porto. Since its opening in September 2022, PISCINA has established itself as a vibrant and accessible space where artists and audiences come together for performances, workshops, classes and multidisciplinary events.

Adapted from the introductory text for A PiSCiNa

45 Instituto Porto Equipamentos 1950-2000 2000-Presente Júlio José de Brito / Paulo Moreira 1955 / 2018 Sat 10h, Arch. Paulo Moreira / Sat and Sun 18h, Arch. Joaquim Moreno The INSTITUTO arose from a desire to revitalise an old warehouse which, like a significant proportion of the buildings in the centre of Porto, had stood abandoned for several decades. In 2018, the building was refurbished by Paulo Moreira Architectures, who set up their studio there and established the INSTITUTO as an extension of their practice. The INSTITUTO is now managed by Tamanho Azul – Associação, the organisation that brings together the team responsible for the project’s development and consolidation.

Since its opening in December 2018, the INSTITUTO has organised a programme of events in various formats — talks, exhibitions, workshops and publications. It has hosted events, training sessions and dedicated programmes involving individual and collective participants from a range of disciplines, both nationally and internationally. Its location on Rua dos Clérigos, close to the city’s landmarks, the bustling Baixa district and a transport network connecting the whole city, has been key to its growing activity and increasing visitor numbers.

INSTITUTO

47 Alfândega Nova do Porto Porto Equipamentos Séc. XIX 2000-Presente Jean F.G. Colson / Eduardo Souto Moura 1859 / 2002 As visitas serão orientadas por Adriana Almeida e Isabel Tavares (Museu de Transportes e Comunicações) e voluntários OHP’26, Sat 11h, Arch. Joaquim Portela / Sat 12h and Sun 11h, Arch. João Paulo Rapagão The Customs House is a customs facility, shaped by the changing ‘moods’ of the River Douro and by the successive transformations in trade relations between Portugal and the rest of the world.

An iconic landmark in the city and a key architectural and heritage site, this 19th-century building covers an area of 36,800 m², opening out onto both the city of Porto and the River Douro, in a prime location which, combined with its monumental scale, gives it a special prominence amongst the region’s public spaces.

The redevelopment project for this site has been underway since 1993, under the guidance of architect Eduardo Souto de Moura. It is guided by the installation of the facilities required for a modern, multifaceted and multipurpose cultural space, whilst taking care to enhance all the elements that characterise the distinctive architecture of a customs house.

Museum of Transport and Communications

48 Teatro de Belomonte (Teatro de Marionetas do Porto) Porto Equipamentos 1950-2000 José Gigante 1992 Sat 15h, Arch. José Gigante / Sun 12h, Isabel Barros (artistic director) Behind the two red doors that open onto the street lies a theatre.

Inside, white surfaces conceal the salt-stained walls of a former chemist’s – visible only where the discovery of an arch suggested the theatrical scale of a small museum. Behind the stage are the nimble hands that bring the puppets to life.

When the lights go out, the stage lights up and the figures begin to grow before our eyes; that is when the magic happens. Little by little, the size of the small room becomes blurred, caught between the marionettes and our own diffuse sense of scale.

On the way out, the foyer feels like a different space altogether. And even the two red doors reveal a strangely different street.

It is the intimate encounter between the space and the rhythms of its own scale.

José Gigante

49 Multiuse Pavilion in Gondomar Gondomar Equipamentos 2000-Presente Álvaro Siza 2007 Sun 10h Paula Soares, Gondomar Municipal Council / Sun 12h Arch. Álvaro Fonseca The Gondomar Multipurpose Pavilion was inaugurated on 29 June 2007 and has established itself as an architectural and functional landmark, not only within the municipality but also across the region. With a contemporary design characterised by straight lines and a harmonious integration into the urban landscape, the building contributes to enhancing the area and to boosting cultural, sporting and business activity in the municipality.

Designed to host initiatives of varying sizes and types, the Gondomar Multipurpose Centre features versatile facilities that allow it to adapt efficiently to the needs of each event. The building comprises three sections: the elliptical pavilion (central hall) covering approximately 6,500 m², with three tiers of seating and a maximum capacity of 8,400 people; a 600 m² hall (Sala D’Ouro) intended for conferences and small to medium-sized events; a set of changing rooms and multi-purpose toilet facilities; as well as several support rooms for working groups. Complementing these facilities, the building also features a spacious public area covered by a concrete canopy measuring approximately 520 m², enhancing its capacity to welcome visitors and the quality of their experience.

Municipality of Gondomar

50 Lugar do Desenho - Júlio Resende Foundation Gondomar Equipamentos 1950-2000 José Carlos Loureiro 1997 Sat 14h30 Arch. Joaquim Vieira de Magalhães (Visit to the Júlio Resende House Studio and the Lugar do Desenho) Conceived by Júlio Resende and designed by José Carlos Loureiro, the Lugar do Desenho was opened in 1997 and is a unique cultural institution on both the national and international scenes. Located next to the Casa Atelier, it establishes a physical and conceptual continuity with it, housing the artist’s vast collection of drawings, comprising over 2,500 works, as well as a collection of around 500 works by other national and international artists. In addition to preserving and promoting this heritage, the Foundation runs a busy programme of cultural and educational activities, including exhibitions, conferences, concerts, workshops, artist residencies and research projects. It has now established itself as a leading centre dedicated to the study, promotion and appreciation of drawing from a contemporary, national and international perspective.

Lugar do Desenho – Júlio Resende Foundation

51 Júlio Resende House and Studio Gondomar Equipamentos 1950-2000 José Carlos Loureiro 1961 Sun 16h Arch. Joaquim Vieira de Magalhães (Visit to the Júlio Resende House Studio and the Lugar do Desenho) Designed by José Carlos Loureiro as a home and studio for Júlio Resende, the House Studio is one of the most notable examples of modern Portuguese architecture associated with the Porto School. Set on a hillside overlooking the Douro, the house is composed of staggered volumes that follow the topography of the land, revealing a particularly sensitive relationship with the landscape. The use of granite, the domestic scale of the spaces and the integration of the living quarters and studio reflect an exemplary synthesis of modernity, building tradition and the site itself. Conceived from the outset to accommodate Júlio Resende’s life and artistic practice, it stands as a rare testament to the relationship between architecture and artistic creation in Portugal.

Júlio Resende House Studio"

A João Álvaro Rocha Documentation Centre Maia Equipamentos 2000-Presente Eduardo Souto de Moura 2001 Sat 10h, 11h and Sun 10h, 11h, 12h, 14h, 15h, 16h Arch. Cristina Emília Silva The Centro de Documentação e Interpretação Urbana João Álvaro Rocha is situated on the site of architect João Álvaro Rocha’s former workplace in Maia, in a building designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura. This space offers the public access to a library specialising in the arts and architecture, as well as to the architect’s estate, providing an insight into his creative process and his notable works in Maia. The collection is owned by Maia Municipal Council, having been donated by the architect’s family, and is housed in premises provided to the council on a loan basis.

Based on the text by the Marques da Silva Foundation