Monteiro Ribas Canteen

The present project refers to the design of a canteen inserted in an 42 000,00 sqm industrial complex, located on the north outskirts of Porto. Client’s goal was to reuse the ground floor of the existing administration building intervene and implement new valences such as a small health clinic, a HR room and a canteen. The intervention is characterized by a huge respect for the pre-existence. Although it didn’t have much architectural or historical value, its industrial context and its constructive and formal pragmatism were the guidelines for the project, leading to a raw functional space, free of ornaments. The space favours the natural lightning and ventilation. These health requirements were accomplished through the opening of large windows in the longitudinal facades (north and south). Client’s briefing was very clear about making the canteen as far from traditional as possible and closer to a restaurant atmosphere, by creating different environments and allowing different dispositions of the furniture. The solution, in order to accomplish this, was to deconstruct the idea of a central space, by introducing two covered exterior patios which shape the interior space, allow the access to the exterior and bring together different areas with distinct ambiances and scales. This deconstruction of the space is emphasized by the inclusion of a succession of panels, both fix or foldable, made of Hard Maple’s wood slats, which can be moved, allowing different configurations and articulations of the spaces.