proposal bases

main spaces node one

The 1st node will host the community center and the public bath programs, and the current urban wasteland will be transformed into a large green park with a whole promenade and wider spaces to accommodate other uses, as well as a more direct path with stairs. Due to its strong presence in the node and in the image of Fontaínhas, the Old Rest Home of Mendicidade will be rehabilitated to accommodate one of the programs. A new building on the edge of the node will host one of the programs and will help to draw the boundaries of the park and the road, along with two other buildings that will be constructed in the corner in front. Furthermore, the entrance platform of the Old Rest Home of Mendicidade will be modified to ease the difference of level with the Fontaínhas Street, conferring accessibility to it..

node two

On node 2, the arrangements are simpler, since that, in general, the place is already well structured. Stairs will be built to facilitate access to the Fine Arts School and a fountain will be added to create different spaces in the square, stimulating the occurrence of simultaneous dynamics, consistent with the diverse programs in its surroundings.

node three

The node 3 will place the night shelter, programs associated with the night shelter - such as a laundry, a psychological support center, language and technical courses and workshops - and a local market, all of them related with a project to qualify the existenting square. The programs will be located on the current unused lots and their volumes will help to draw the angles between the roads as well as the boundaries of the square. At the same time, their uses will collaborate with the creation of a local microcredit and of some job vacancies for the reintegration of homeless and refugees. The square is divided into three parts. The first one, next to the market, is the reception space of the square, characterized as a mostly free area to allow the extension of market activity in the form of periodic street markets or to host community events. In the extension of the latter, the second part contrasts with the first by the presence of green areas, which divide the entrance space of the cemetery and of the school and its church, and meeting places for the users of these programs. This second part of the square is connected with the first and the third by stairs/bleachers, designed also to be occupied. The third part, the one nearest to the cliff, is marked by the wide view, a coffee shop with a terrace and the access to D. Maria Pia’s Bridge, to one of the train stations of the rehabilitated line and to a mechanical connection with the river bank. In order to make the construction of the square viable, since it breaks a connection between streets, the road will be redesigned and a parking lot and stopping area will be created for parents to drop their children off at school.

Path 1-2

For the connection between node 1 and 2, the group proposes the widening of the pedestrian walkway and the addition of trees to announce the park of node 1. In addition, the stairs to go up to node 1 will be widened and turned in the direction of the alley that leads to the park to create a spatial and visual link. Path 2-3

The connection between nodes 2 and 3 corresponds to the redevelopment of S.Victor Street. As the width of the road isn't enough for the simultaneous presence of a wide sidewalk, a parking lot and green areas, the sidewalk will be enlarged punctually, allowing the placement of urban furniture without occupying the passageway. In places where such furniture doesn't exist, parking lots or green areas will be placed, making the path functional, dynamic and comfortable for pedestrians. Path 3-1

For the last connection, between nodes 1 and 3, the Fontaínhas’ Alameda will be extended, following Rua de Gomes Freire until the beginning of its curved part, where it will be converted into a shared street, with car access restricted to residents. At the beginning of the shared street, some parking spaces will be provided for the residents and for the visitors to leave their cars and go on foot. For the extension of the Alameda, the area where the library and playground are currently located will be redesigned, giving way also to one of the connections by the cliff. The cliff

The cliff will accommodate two train stations which will serve the rehabilitated train line, one next to the node 1 and another next to the node 3. In addition, three elevators and two funiculars in metal structures will facilitate access between the different levels, also possible through contemplative paths by stairs. The structure next to the node 1, which is in a visible point in the upper part of Fontaínhas, also connects the rehabilitated washroom and the old Carvalhinhos Ceramic Factory, creating a small interpretative path. All the interventions made on the cliff were thought to be light and punctual due to the instability of the terrain, being just the essential to establish the intended connections.

secondary spaces

We define secondary interventions as those that promote the articulation of primary spaces and organize their flows. Within this category are:

pocket parks

A fragmentation of the housing blocks was necessary, with the aim of improving the circulation of residents, in order to connect them to new and old public spaces and to promote interaction between residents and visitors. Furthermore, based on the idea of reconnecting Fontaínhas with itself, these small squares can serve for celebrations and meetings of the local community, recovering the identity of the region of celebration and sharing. This revitalization takes place using existing vacant lots, to create new passages to the interior of the blocks. In the block facing Alameda das Fontaínhas, the existing vacant lot gives space for the development of a building that solves accessibility issues and generates covered living spaces. This new building is in relation with the existent stairs that cuts the block in two and connects Gomes Freire Street with São Vítor Street. The other pocket park planned with this purpose takes advantage of an existent dead end alley and some empty buildings in its alignment to create a new path, prioritizing pedestrian flow. Washroom of Fontaínhas

Another focal point of intervention that aims to evoke the memory of the region is the washroom of the Fontaínhas. In this sense, we propose the rehabilitation of what was once a space for work and socialization, creating an area for the interpretation of the site’s history. Housing in São Vítor district

In addition to these two interventions, we propose the construction of a building on the vacant lot of the São Vítor neighborhood, based on the fact that there was once a building there and because it appears to be a density that makes sense in the configuration of the place, generating smaller and cozier spaces. It also recovers the relation of the housing building designed by Álvaro Siza with a builded element in front. As it is mostly an area with housing, the building will host a collective housing.