Study of side and front facades, 1909

Start of project 1909

When an architect designs for himself, removed from conflicts of taste and  obligations to clients, there is an opportunity for him to tackle various central architectural issues with a greater practical certainty. The home of an architect thus becomes, not only a reflection of his social convictions, but also a demonstration of his discipline. And, when the atelier is part of the house, the work is transformed into a showcase where the architect receives his clients, a  direct demonstration of his skill.
In the Atelier and Residence, the first impression is its similarity with the Lopes Martins mansion, creating a new domestic scale in the urban forms of the Praça Marquês do Pombal. This domesticity is equally clear on entering through the front door into an entrance hall large enough to be a living room, with a fireplace, a scenic staircase and ample external openings.
The atelier was installed on the ground floor, with connecting links separate from those of the upper floor, where the rooms and spaces reserved for private domestic use were built. What the Atelier and Residence demonstrates with such striking effectiveness is the origin of the domestic practice of the architects of the Porto School. The atelier, with access for employees independent from the main house access (through a small service door), is literally installed in the stairwell so that there is no door through which to receive clients. This omission means that the client of Marques da Silva resides in the house, and is received in the hall on the piano nobile, two steps away from the dining room.
From a formal point of view, the Atelier and Residence is a demonstration of virtuosity and technical skills. Marques da Silva used composite slabs of wood and reinforced concrete, stone in colossal proportions for balconies, eaves cut and positioned so as to express enormous volume. The various solutions enhance the expression of the granite material, formally evoking a Roman style favoured by Marques da Silva.
 

(translated by Gill Stoker)

Bibliography
CARDOSO, António, O arquitecto José Marques da Silva e a arquitectura no Norte do País na primeira metade do séc. XX, Porto, Faup-publicações, 1997, pp. 536-539.
VASCONCELOS, Domingas, A Praça do Marquês de Pombal na Cidade do Porto, das suas origens até à construção da Igreja da Senhora da Conceição, Porto, Faup-publicações, 2008, pp. 117-118.

Location
Porto, Praça Marquês do Pombal, 44
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