Music and Dance Center
Adaptive reuse of an industrial warehouse structure
Bachelor's thesis, January 2020. Individual Work

The bachelor's thesis focuses on the project of repurposing an unused steel hall warehouse that the city has long overlooked. Situated in Covilhã, a small town in southern Portugal where I spent a year during my bachelor's degree, the building is situated in an area that is gradually undergoing industrial development. The primary objective is to transform the warehouse into a public facility that embodies Portugal's culture and traditions. Consequently, the selected function aligns with Portugal's deep-rooted connection to music and dance, resulting in the proposed name for the facility: the Music and Dance Center. Architecturally, the core concept for the building is a "box within a box" design. The inner box will house the main music hall, while an open foyer will serve as both as spatial divider and an acoustic buffer between the musical rooms and halls and the exterior walls. While entering the building, visitors will encounter a feeling of openness reminiscent of being outdoors, made possible by the transparent facade. The original industrial elements of the warehouse, such as the steel beams, pillars and trusses, will be carefully preserved to retain its original character, while the masonry walls with be removed. To ensure the building's distinctive structure is visible from the exterior, the facade will consist of a glazed curtain wall system with perforated metal sun shadings.