Hackathon 2026

Porto restoration project

Made by:

Leonard Farris
Céleste Campione
Nara Franssen
Emily Wu
Hila Zauberer

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None of the text here is fully AI generated

Some of the text has been enhanced by AI

Where?

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Lordelo Do Ouro, a part of Porto forgotten about. Buildings are crumbling and the crime rate is high. A once prospering area of Porto, has fallen from its former glory, we plan to restore it.

Map of Porto with the Lordelo do Ouro area highlighted in green, beside the Douro river.

The important Questions

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How might we make it easier for people to connect with each other?

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How might we revitalize and reuse the beautiful unused land on the Douro?

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How might we change the way people interact with each other and the environment?

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How might we improve housing availability while also revitalizing the environment and keeping crime rates manageable?

Our Solution

Our solution combines environmental restoration, community inclusion and economic boom. We plan to build a new 3 part apartment building enclosing a square garden on the riverfront of the Douro. The apartment building will be cheap for all unfortunate enough to have a low income, or to be struggling heavily. The apartment complex will allow more people to move, which makes more jobs, which improves the economy. If unable to pay for the full rent, they can apply for a maximum of 50% rent reduction in cost of a higher rent when they can later pay it.

Rendering of a tall timber-clad apartment building with balconies and a covered entrance.

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Our three apartments will be inclusive to all. The lower floors will be for low-income residents while the top floors will be for the rich, which will help us fund the rent reductions.
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The gardens in the center will be both economically friendly and a place for the commumity to meet. We will also grow plants on the top of the apartments to improve greenery.
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We will have a fourth, shorter building, for celebrations of holidays, traditions or any celebrations. It can be rented or used publicly as a nice community celebration spot.

The Matrixes

We had made 25 ideas and narrowed them down increasingly until we landed on one “best” idea. We did this by using 3 matrixes. the best ones for each were apart of our “Best” three ideas, until we could decide on one final idea.

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The first matrix was comparing Economic Impact with Community impact

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The second matrix compared Economic Impact with Environmental Impact

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The third matrix compared Environmental Impact and Community Impact.

Economic Impact

Our innovative condominium will not only help those in need, but it will also help reduce crime rates by rehabilitating citizens involved in criminal activity, directly leading to more people in search of a job, boosting the local economy. We also collaborate with local businesses, and encourage our residents to rehabilitate through employment.

Community Impact

The celebration hub can integrate this new community and help people interact more. Traditions, celebrations and holidays can all be hosted in our community hub, so everyone can be a part of the community. Our hope is to improve the relations between everyone, not just those who live in our apartments, but everyone in Bairro de Alexios

Environmental Impact

Solar panels cut reliance on non-renewable energy. Trees and gardens on unused land add green space, support biodiversity and clean the air. A community garden and a fish farm supply the on-site supermarket, so less food has to be shipped in.

THE legal issues.

Our project is a 12 story, affordable housing development in Porto, Lordelo De Ouro. Our apartment complex is a innovative, cheap yet environmentally friendly CLT and Steel core housing complex. Our building is built on Bairro De Alexios, a UOPG5 plot of land, which essentially means that even though Portuguese municipality laws restrict buildings over 12 stories tall, a recent municipal law (Regulamento do Plano Diretor Municipal do Porto (RPDM), specifically governed by Artigo 160.º) This law, official code Artigo 160, establishes the UOPG, stating specifically that the regulatory objective for this plot of land is the structure appropiate for a housing territory. By defining this property as an isolated vertical blocks, our building is exempt from the moda de cercéa rule, which forces buildings to limit their height.

Alongside the UOPG5, we also utilize the UE1 to our advantage, a directive approved by the Porto municipality, and was published in the official legal journal as Aviso n. 14137/2024/2. It dictates that the density of our apartment complex is compacted into 3 twelve story buildings , and the remaining land is handed over to the Espaço Verde de Fruição Coletiva。

Safety problem

Now, onto the safety part, our hybrid CLT model strictly follows the Porto municipal rules on safety hazards, making our project viable. Our CLT/steel hybrid structure utilizes S355J2 steel, conforming to EU 10025-2/3. S355JS steel indicates that it is: S- Structural Steel. 355- Minimum yield strength of 355 MPa. J2- Can withstand up to 27 joules of force at -20°C. This steel is especially good for our unique type of structure, as it specializes in withstanding high levels of force and high yield strength. We will use S355J2 for our core frameworks and linking between objects. As for our core walls (concrete and steel) we will utilize Class C high ductility steel, specifically A500NR-SD, following Eurocode 8. Our CLT also conforms to Portugals Risk Category IV regulations, meaning we will install building wide sprinklers, and our CLT-steel hybrid panels use self-extinguishing properties.

Diagram of a CLT and steel hybrid frame: timber wall panels, steel columns, floor plates and stairs.

The Small Apartment

A twin apartment on the ground floor: a bedroom with two queen beds, a kitchen and dining room, a bathroom, and an entry with laundry. About 40 m² in all.

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The Larger Apartment

A larger ground-floor apartment: a bedroom with a queen and a twin bed, a living room with a kitchen, a bathroom with a walk-in shower, and an entry with laundry and storage. About 75 m² in all.