Boavista House | Pablo Pita Architects

Boavista is a single-family house refurbishment in a well-known Porto street with the same name. The plot was a last century house in an advanced state of ruin facing one of the busiest streets, but offering a garden in the interior of the block.

The width limitations of these old constructions invite the dwelling to extend its boundaries to the inner courtyard. With this, a generous area is provided, setting the entire social area through one contiguous space. The kitchen extension connects to the garden, assuming a crucial role in the relation with the exterior. A wheeled wooden island allows a flexible use of the space. A skin of wooden shutters characterize the extension façade and set different layers of shade.

In the center a light core is settled, being the stairs developed in different stages with different relations with this void. Therefore the theme of the skylight is revisited, exploring one of the main features of these old constructions and enhancing its importance on the structure of these typologies. The height of the skylight defines an unusual residential scale allowing visual relations between the three floors.