The renovation of Casa Chã, carried out by the Portuguese studio Pablo Pita, stems from the particular conditions of the existing building. Located in the historic centre of Porto, it has undergone a structural reform that completely altered its internal layout.

“The building was an expecting plot for years. A decade ago, after some major interventions in the neighbourhood, this building almost collapsed,” architect Pablo Rebelo told Domus. “Due to this, the previous owner decided to demolish the interior and create new concrete slabs. The place was left like that ever since, resulting in a curious open space, without even a staircase. This was also the result of the economic crash that affected Portugal.”

This situation is taken from the architect as a starting point and pivotal element for the whole project. In addition to connecting the apartments vertically, the new vertical distribution becomes a sculptural wooden element, recalling the warm materiality of the renovated dwellings.

“We got the chance to develop this project without any typology underneath. This also influenced the concept, looking at it as an opportunity to establish a typology made from the ‘inbetweens’ that resulted from this dialogue established between this new wooden core and the limits of the old building,” said the architect.

On the first two levels, the apartments have an open plan, with all the furnishings grouped together with the central core. On the last two floors there is a duplex apartment, with three bedrooms at the bottom and a large and bright living area that also has a private terrace.

The street facade of Casa Chã has been left unaltered, so as to mimic the historical context of Porto's city centre. The only sign visible from the outside is the top floor, which is covered with a dark-coloured trapezoidal sheet metal, representing an intervention that is the result of the history stratifications and is able to interpret a more mobile and flexible contemporary life.