The architecture studio, Fala Atelier, has completed the transformation of an industrial warehouse, in a peripheral area of the city of Porto, into a new home baptized as the "House of Many Faces", whose main characteristic is the enhancement of the ample space through small gestures.

The project is located on a very long and narrow plot that contained a warehouse inside which were a series of dilapidated offices and a spacious warehouse. The structure of the pre-existing building suggests two parts, a conventional front with an opaque façade, which has two levels, and the rear, where we find a large closed space with a gabled roof formed by a peculiar structure of wooden trusses.
Fala Atelier conceives the project as a series of cuts along a long perimeter. The two parts are now separated by an interior courtyard. The front part of the building houses a series of small apartments, dividing the space with small geometric actions. The large warehouse space is converted into a huge living room that is interrupted by a curved wall in the background.

The old warehouse is a house with many faces. A grid of black dots attempts to give meaning to the concrete structures on the façade and defines their image. Inside, a set of recurring pairs of windows, yellow doors, green shutters and glass brick surfaces organize the rest of the rooms.


House of many faces by Fala Atelier. Photograph by Giulietta Margot.
 

Project description by Fala Atelier

An oversized house is barely a house. The very long narrow plot used to accommodate shabby offices and a spacious warehouse. A fearless client aimed at transforming this clutter into a home. A soon-to-be living room could easily have a dozen cars parked in there.

The structure of the existing building suggests two parts. A conventional front facing the street is an object on its own that has a dull facade, two levels and a disarray of rooms, while the back part is a vast space under a gable roof supported by heavy wooden beams.

The project is conceived as a series of cuts across the lengthy perimeter. Five facets are reassessed and introduced to order the extensive space. The two parts are now separated by an inner courtyard. The building in front takes in a series of small apartments, dividing the space with several slight gestures. The warehouse simply turns into a massive living room that is then interrupted by one curved wall. A proper kitchen and a monumental fireplace are the only hints of uncertain domesticity.


House of many faces by Fala Atelier. Photograph by Rory Gardiner.

The five facets are addressed as a gang of elevations. Each has a character of its own but they share apparent similarities. A grid of black dots attempts to make sense of the concrete structures and defines the figure of the facades.

Reoccurring pairs of windows, yellow doors, green shutters and surfaces of glass brick correspond to intricate rooms, devise tense compositions and charismatic characters. The former warehouse is a house of many faces.

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Architects
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Design team
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Filipe Magalhães, Ana Luisa Soares, Ahmed Belkhodja, Lera Samovich, Ana Lima, Rute Peixoto, João Carlos Lopes.
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Collaborators
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Landscaping.- João Magalhães.
Engineering.- Paulo Sousa, mp+pf.
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Contractor
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Civiflanco.
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Dates
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2017-2022.
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Location
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Porto, Portugal.
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Photography
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Fala Atelier, Francisco Ascensão, Rory Gardiner, Giulietta Margot, Matilde Viegas.
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Fala Atelier is a naïve architecture practice based in Porto, led by Filipe Magalhães, Ana Luisa Soares and Ahmed Belkhodja. Established in 2013, the atelier works with methodic optimism on a wide range of projects, from territories to birdhouses.

Filipe Magalhães (Porto, 1987) graduated in architecture at faculdade de arquitectura do Porto and Fakulteta za Arhitekturo in Ljubljana; wrote the thesis ‘between the abstract and the figurative’. Worked with Harry Gugger in Basel and Aanaa in Tokyo. Visiting professor at Bratislava’s faculty of architecture.

Ana Luisa Soares (Porto, 1988) graduated in architecture at faculdade de arquitectura do Porto and Tokyo university; wrote the thesis ‘The matter of ideas’. Worked with Harry Gugger in Basel and Toyo Ito in Tokyo. Visiting professor at Bratislava’s faculty of architecture.

Ahmed Belkhodja (Lausanne, 1990) graduated in architecture at ETH Zurich after having also studied in Lausanne, Gothenburg and Singapore; worked with Harry Gugger in Basel, Obra architects in New York, and Atelier Bow-wow in Tokyo.
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Published on: April 4, 2024
Cite: "Subtle gestures that make a difference. House of many faces by Fala Atelier" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/subtle-gestures-make-a-difference-house-many-faces-fala-atelier> ISSN 1139-6415
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