VdA - Vieira de Almeida

The evolution of a city is always shaped by its people and their practices. The “civitas” stands as a witness to time, reflecting the historical and social circumstances of each era, while the buildings that endure continue to bear this legacy. This intervention project didn’t focus solely on rehabilitating the existing structure, but rather on interpreting it and bringing its essence to the forefront.

During the 19th century, what was once a mudflat area, due to its proximity to the river and populated by small dockyards, witnessed the central government’s attention to public spaces, with the creation of squares, markets, and broad communication routes between the current Cais do Sodré and Santos. However, the area became isolated with the expansion of the railway, acquiring an industrial character that later gave rise to warehouses, nautical shipyards, factories, and metallurgical workshops. These buildings often featured characteristic stone arches at their entrances and impressive vaulted masonry in solid brick.

One of the protagonists of this journey through time is the illustrious Portuguese architect Porfírio Pardal Monteiro, who, in the 20th century, was responsible for the major architectural intervention in the area: the commissioning of the newly established car importer SOREL. The building featured large workshop areas and a modern “nudist” style façade, with its defining characteristic being the impressive volume of the industrial warehouse on Aterro da Boavista, on the site of the old Santos Beach, along a street that once functioned as a quay perpendicular to the river, connecting the “old coastline.” This building has withstood the test of time and, now restored, accommodates its new modern occupants.

The rehabilitation of the former SOREL building, led by Openbook Architecture, honours Lisbon’s industrial heritage with a bold architectural vision. The building’s vast central nave—with its light iron structure and double-height ceiling—was reimagined through a partial three-level intervention that preserves its spatial grandeur. The project also integrated 19th-century structures, creating a cohesive and contemporary architectural narrative in which each historical element is given renewed significance.

The new headquarters of VdA was envisioned as a community space, fostering interaction, knowledge exchange, and a strong sense of belonging. The central nave becomes a grand entrance atrium with urban scale, where corridors act as interior streets connecting horizontal and vertical zones. Natural light, filtered through skylights and garden courtyards, enhances spatial fluidity and environmental quality. This interior urbanity is enriched by informal meeting areas, lounges, and transitional spaces that elevate the collective experience and invite exploration.

As is common to industrial installations the diversity of the different building was expressive. Their varying parts, façades, and features differed in size, height, and character. While this posed a challenge for creating a cohesive design, it also offered an opportunity: through this intervention, an internal urbanity could be established, where the functional program would define the purpose, value, and spatial identity of each pre-existing structure.

Through the recovery of reference elements, it was possible to maintain the memory and the industrial character that marked an era, while at the same time adapting it to the current user’s requirements. The whole central body, of an ‘industrial character’, was kept with the existing vaults preserving the main structure, the metallic elements, the great brick walls and other diverse elements.