This urban renewal project addressed the need to make the city center of São Martinho do Porto more accessible, a seaside city in the region of Alcobaça whose waterfront promenade, the main tourist attraction, is at a lower level regarding the historic center.

The intervention project includes the renewal of the promenade and that of a series of streets and plazas in the upper area of the city, and among which one of the most noteworthy is the Comendador José Bento da Silva plaza-lookout, known for its exceptional views over the bay. To improve the accessibility to this space the proposal includes the construction of a public elevator, which is part of a new tourism office that takes up an elongated and narrow plot in the lower part of the historic center.

The elevator, in the center of the floor plan of the tourist information building, is connected to the Comendador plaza through a raised footbridge made of reinforced concrete. Next to it, a light wooden staircase reaches the building’s roof. The office, with an exposed concrete facade, comprises small multipurpose areas that can be used for exhibitions, to hold meetings, or as information centers.