Following the acquisition of the building – originally expanded back in 1929 in order to accommodate a bakery – by MCMF Housing in 2012, the initial idea was to restore it for local accommodation in the historical centre of Porto. However, after some reflection, the current owner changed plans. “By developing office spaces for rental, the typology of the building could be preserved, while work spaces could be made available in the city centre, something that is currently in short supply in Oporto.”

Today, the project signed by the architect Diana Barros and the engineer Ricardo Santos is already seen as a reference in terms of sustainability and energy efficiency, these being factors that led them to receive the National Award for Urban Regeneration (PNRU), in the category of Best Energy Efficiency Solution.

Since July, 2017, the Padaria Building has provided over its three floors, 11 offices, a shared meeting space, a kitchen area and a terrace and garden with views over the River Douro. In order to maintain the structure of the building, the adaptation project sought to maximize the use of existing resources, favouring the use of natural materials, introducing autonomous cooling systems and passive heating and implementing the harvesting of rainwater and re-use of grey water.

This is a process that became a real case study thanks to the “'the creation of analysis and review spaces, where we tested different systems which had long been forgotten but, which prove to be perfectly functional in this type of structure”, explains the architect.