Leça do Balio Monastery Renovation
Álvaro Siza 

Leça do Balio Monastery Renovation

Álvaro Siza 


In establishing its foundation, Porto’s most famous bookshop makes one of the country’s earliest constructions coexist with a sculptural pavilion that echoes its volumes on a contemporary note.

The premises were reconstructed in the 20th century under romantic criteria, and the current restoration is less about reinstating historical rigor than about exalting the medieval by removing additions of poor quality.

Next to the preexisting, a white concrete folie serves as a reception space, the first of a series of auteur interventions that a national initiative plans to bring to historic sites along the Portuguese pilgrim route to Santiago.


Obra Work
Rehabilitación del monasterio de Leça do Balio, Matosinhos (Portugal)
Leça do Balio Monastery Renovation, Matosinhos (Portugal)

Cliente Client
Fundação Livraria Lello

Arquitectos Architects
Álvaro Siza; Rita Frois do Amaral (coordinadora coordinator); Cristina Ferreirinha, José Luís Carvalho Gomes, Maria Souto Moura, Paulo Silva, Javier Nuñes, Célia Peces (colaboradores collaborators)

Consultores Consultants
GOP (estructura structure); Raquel Fernandes (saneamiento sanitation); GPIC (electricidad electricity); GET (instalaciones MEP services); Inacoustics (acústica acoustics); Sidónio Pardal (paisajismo landscape)

Contratista Contractor
AOF

Superficie Area
6.000 m² (monasterio monastery); 400 m² (escultura sculpture)

Fotos Photos
Filipe Braga; Augusto Custodio; Alexandre Delmar