OODA: DM2 Housing

One of the most demanding tasks in Porto nowadays is the intervention on the major amount of old and historical buildings in Porto’s downtown.

This project is a renovation of a 20th century building converted into 17 housing units for students and young people.

The DM2 Building, located in downtown Porto (priority intervention zone), in the area of protection of the National Museum Soares dos Reis, was a single dwelling with the whole intrinsic characteristics of the buildings of the time, both in its functional layout and in its ornamental and aesthetic qualities.

In late 20th century, the property was divided in several independent spaces for commercial purposes and the lower floors were completely redesigned, hiding or removing original the wood structure of the floors and the traditional skylight above the stairs.

OODA’s project turn back the building to its original residential function, recovering the traces of the hidden identity, reinterpreting the traditional elements and giving the building a new sense of contemporary housing program with a set of typologies that meet current market needs . Now the building houses 17 apartments, ranging in size between 28 sqm and 105 sqm, spread over 5 floors and accompanied by a landscaped patio for parking.

DM2 Housing, Porto, Portugal
Program: residential building
Architects: OODA
Project Team: Diogo Brito, Rodrigo Vilas-Boas, Francisco Lencastre, Francisca Santos, Lourenço Menezes Rodrigues 
Area: 1,100 sqm
Completion: 2014