1 July to 2 July
Open House Porto: the turn of the brand new
After last year's edition, which registered more than 25 thousand visits in the 74 spaces available, Open House Porto (OHP) returns on July 1st and 2nd, curated by Pedro Baía and Magda Seifert, under the theme "The Newest in Architecture".
It will be the 8th edition of Open House Porto that Casa da Arquitectura carries out every year, with the collaboration of the City Councils of Matosinhos (CMM), Porto (CMP), Vila Nova de Gaia (CMG) and Maia (CMM), associating once again the four territories.
The theme is inspired by the 1959 text by Nuno Portas, entitled "The responsibility of a brand new generation in the modern movement in Portugal", from which Portas addresses the "architects newly arrived to the professional activity", proposing "the questioning of a brand new generation, not only in their ideas and intentions, but above all in their works."
"The format of Open House Porto then offers the opportunity for a possible reading of the various brand new generations of architects who have been designing and building over time, through the contemporary visit of their works," the curators state.
And they add: "If the term 'brand new' refers to something new, emerging, unpublished and recent, this 'brand new generation' is interpreted as a lens through which to choose works made by young architects in the 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, 1990s or 2010s.
In this sense, the curatorial approach presents a set of works to be visited according to three selection lines: "brand new", "new brand new" and "brand new works".
The "brand new ones" are, according to the curators, revisited from a selection of works, today recognised and celebrated, which were in their time designed by architects who were at the beginning of their career, such as the Tea House in Matosinhos by the then brand new Álvaro Siza, the Cedro School in Vila Nova de Gaia by the young architect Fernando Távora or the Ângelo de Sousa House in Porto by José Pulido Valente, aged just 26.
According to Pedro Baía and Magda Seifert, the "new beginnings" are revealed through a selection of the most recent works by a very new generation of architects born after 1983, now under 40 years of age, such as Atelier Local, Depa Architects, Fala Atelier or Fahr 021.3.
Finally, the term "novissimo" also serves as a pretext for us to discover the most interesting and "brand new works" completed in the last five years, such as the rehabilitation of the Bolhão Market by Nuno Valentim and Rita Machado Lima, the project for the Campanhã Intermodal Terminal by Nuno Brandão Costa, the new premises of the ESAP by Fátima Fernandes and Michelle Cannatà or the project for the Casa Submarino by Ivo Poças Martins.
Open House Porto
Held exclusively with the support of volunteers and specialists who provide guided tours, Open House is an international event promoting architecture and built heritage, created in London in 1992 by Victoria Thornton. With over 20 years of history, this event currently extends to over 50 cities around the world.
The Open House is an annual initiative, concentrated in a single weekend, which aims to overcome and deconstruct the existing barriers between architecture and the non-specialist public in the discovery of outstanding spaces, giving everyone the opportunity to explore private homes, buildings, infrastructures and urban sets that illustrate the uniqueness of local architecture. Access and visits to the spaces on the route are completely free.
The event invites the general public to create their own itinerary through the city according to their interests, with visits commented by experts and/or authors of the projects.
The itinerary is also accompanied by the Kaleidoscope and Plus Programmes, which propose a set of activities open to all audiences, also free of charge.
Open House Porto is the only case worldwide in which 4 cities come together for the event as a single territory.
The theme is inspired by the 1959 text by Nuno Portas, entitled "The responsibility of a brand new generation in the modern movement in Portugal", from which Portas addresses the "architects newly arrived to the professional activity", proposing "the questioning of a brand new generation, not only in their ideas and intentions, but above all in their works."
"The format of Open House Porto then offers the opportunity for a possible reading of the various brand new generations of architects who have been designing and building over time, through the contemporary visit of their works," the curators state.
And they add: "If the term 'brand new' refers to something new, emerging, unpublished and recent, this 'brand new generation' is interpreted as a lens through which to choose works made by young architects in the 1930s, 1950s, 1970s, 1990s or 2010s.
In this sense, the curatorial approach presents a set of works to be visited according to three selection lines: "brand new", "new brand new" and "brand new works".
The "brand new ones" are, according to the curators, revisited from a selection of works, today recognised and celebrated, which were in their time designed by architects who were at the beginning of their career, such as the Tea House in Matosinhos by the then brand new Álvaro Siza, the Cedro School in Vila Nova de Gaia by the young architect Fernando Távora or the Ângelo de Sousa House in Porto by José Pulido Valente, aged just 26.
According to Pedro Baía and Magda Seifert, the "new beginnings" are revealed through a selection of the most recent works by a very new generation of architects born after 1983, now under 40 years of age, such as Atelier Local, Depa Architects, Fala Atelier or Fahr 021.3.
Finally, the term "novissimo" also serves as a pretext for us to discover the most interesting and "brand new works" completed in the last five years, such as the rehabilitation of the Bolhão Market by Nuno Valentim and Rita Machado Lima, the project for the Campanhã Intermodal Terminal by Nuno Brandão Costa, the new premises of the ESAP by Fátima Fernandes and Michelle Cannatà or the project for the Casa Submarino by Ivo Poças Martins.
Open House Porto
Held exclusively with the support of volunteers and specialists who provide guided tours, Open House is an international event promoting architecture and built heritage, created in London in 1992 by Victoria Thornton. With over 20 years of history, this event currently extends to over 50 cities around the world.
The Open House is an annual initiative, concentrated in a single weekend, which aims to overcome and deconstruct the existing barriers between architecture and the non-specialist public in the discovery of outstanding spaces, giving everyone the opportunity to explore private homes, buildings, infrastructures and urban sets that illustrate the uniqueness of local architecture. Access and visits to the spaces on the route are completely free.
The event invites the general public to create their own itinerary through the city according to their interests, with visits commented by experts and/or authors of the projects.
The itinerary is also accompanied by the Kaleidoscope and Plus Programmes, which propose a set of activities open to all audiences, also free of charge.
Open House Porto is the only case worldwide in which 4 cities come together for the event as a single territory.
The Curators
Pedro Baía (b.1980) is a visiting assistant professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto and the Department of Architecture of the Autonomous University of Lisbon. He graduated in 2005 from the Architecture Department of the University of Coimbra and received his PhD in Theory and History of Architecture from the same university in 2014. Integrated researcher, since 2015, in Lab2PT - Laboratory of Landscapes, Heritage and Territory, at the University of Minho, where he developed post-doctoral research in architecture between 2017 and 2020. Collaborating researcher at CEACT - Centre for Architecture, City and Territory Studies at UAL. Member of the editorial board of the Jornal Arquitectos (2022-2024). Member of the advisory board of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale since 2014. Founder and director of Circo de Ideias, a cultural association where he has coordinated various editions, conferences and exhibition projects since 2008.
Magda Seifert (b.1980) is executive director of the Porto Design Biennale, integrating the direction of esad-idea, Research in Design and Art since 2020. She graduated as an architect in 2006 from the Escola Universitária das Artes de Coimbra. Between 2014 and 2016, she collaborated with the Canadian Centre for Architecture in the transfer of Álvaro Siza's archive to this institution. Between 2015 and 2017, with Luís Tavares Pereira and Bruno Baldaia, she curated the 5th edition of Habitar Portugal. Between 2010 and 2014 he was part of the team of the Order of Architects - Northern Regional Section, acting as an advisor to the President's office. Member of the board of representatives of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto since 2022. Founder and director of Circo de Ideias, cultural association where she coordinates, since 2008, several editions, conferences and exhibition projects.
More at openhouseporto.com
Institucional Partner
Portuguese contemporary art network
Strategic Partner
Patron
Media Partner
Official Transport
Official Photography
Co-founded by
