The intervention area is one fraction of a warehouse complex located in the industrial area of the city of Porto. This recently reclassified area (as business district) has in its local context, one of the main arguments for the project development. The adaptation to the urban context elaborated from its morphological analysis is the key strategical point to set the specific tactics that construct the organic reality of a new community.

Another main argument of the strategy (without ignoring the building and its external characteristics) is the interior space, which, since it does not present any characteristic of architectural relevance, presents itself as a non-referential topic in which we must develop an optimised solution for not only an abstract program but an evolutive social dynamic space.

Despite the proximity to the centre of the city, the place is still far enough to feel as a proper urban setting within the normal commodities perspective. This observation, which could be considered negative at first glance, becomes one of the main arguments for increasing the project’s inner possibilities. By analysing the space as a potential area capable of better serving the relationship between personal and professional life, I have considered the most recent politics production and collective performance on which companies rely more than ever and created a canvas drawn from the architecture of the city. Non literal, yet classically coherent with our image of a human environment in the simplest representations of order and governance.

The direct correspondence between the social implications of daily work and the balance with the personal life of the employees is one of the topics that is resolved through the confrontation with a critical programme, a possible organisation, and the proposed spatial dynamics.
The integration of light mobility (scooters, bicycles, motorbikes) as the infrastructural basis of the project reinforces the focus on the employee, to whom all attention and comfort are given, so that he/she sees the workspace as a tool to have comfort and quality of life.

The project is based on these concepts, which can be seen from the entrance to the “warehouse” (now city), which presents the user with a lounge area that allows the reduction of the nearby highway noise while guaranteeing thermal comfort, and creating a fictional, transitional image that accompanies the employee to the interior of the “public” space. The reception area is dedicated to new practices and common daily dynamics, such as a pick-up zone (e.g., pharmacy deliveries, groceries, etc.), announcing a self-sufficient workplace, user oriented.

Other functions, such as breaks and meals, are provided in the meal area, which is an ambiguous space when compared to its traditional model and has enough space to serve both the individual and the collective comfortably. The location of the refectory makes it possible to enjoy a “common pantry”, reinforcing the flexibility of the different areas of the warehouse.

This functional approach has a clear pedagogical role, where the disclosure of new strategies for working and occupying spaces allows for specific approaches and appropriations (e.g., cooking, meditation, education and informal training), imposing health and well-being as the conceptual backgrounds for project decisions. The programme also considers both individual and collective physical well-being, with specific areas dedicated to physical exercise (multi-purpose spaces), supported by the nearby changing rooms with generous individual lockers. This allows (but above all encourages), the use of space in comfort and with subtle barriers between work and private life.

From a strategic point of view, the proposal reflects the author’s opinion and a positional orientation based on the performance of the work teams (as individuals and as a group) as evolutive and procedural, balanced and performant. The warehouse environment is designed to achieve a contemporary balance between technical, functional, organisational, incorporating corporate needs, anchored on the social needs of physical, mental and aesthetical well-being.

The unit, the city, is then a reflection of the individual’s adaptation to the various themes of his own life.