Open House Porto offers 53 free architectural spaces to visit

This Saturday and Sunday, more than 50 architectural spaces will be open to visit free of charge across four local authority areas: Porto, Maia, Matosinhos and Gondomar.

Open House Porto opens 53 architectural spaces

The 11th edition of Open House Porto takes place this weekend, giving the thousands of expected visitors free access to 53 architectural sites.

This year’s main addition is Gondomar, which joins the participating municipalities as a guest. Alongside 50 locations in Porto, Maia and Matosinhos, visitors can explore three sites in Gondomar: the Multi-Purpose Pavilion, the Júlio Resende Foundation and the Júlio Resende House and Studio.

Pentimenti – a term for the superimposed layers in a painting that become visible over time – is the theme of this edition. Curated by architect and photographer Francisco Ascensão and architect and visual artist Maria Souto de Moura, the event’s 11th edition invites reflection on architecture’s many lives, revealing buildings altered by time, changing functions and the successive layers of history that endure within them.

With 35 venues making their debut in the programme, Open House brings together an unusually large team: 80 specialists and 400 volunteers will lead the visits.

Architectural highlights in Porto, Matosinhos and Maia

Alongside the site visits, Open House has also arranged an extensive programme of educational activities, performances and accompanying initiatives celebrating architecture and people’s relationship with the city.

In Porto, highlights include the Serralves House, the former Aleixo Estate, the Biodiversity Gallery at Casa Andresen, Quinta do Mitra in Campanhã, STOP Shopping Centre, the D. Maria Pia Bridge and the Customs Railway Branch, among other locations.

In Matosinhos, visitors can access the Monastery of Leça do Balio, the former Galp refinery, the Titan at the Port of Leixões, the House of Architecture, the former Vasco da Gama Canning Factory and Quinta de São Gens.

In Maia, the programme includes the Quinta da Gruta Environmental Education Complex, the Gramaxo Foundation, Quinta dos Cónegos and the River Leça Corridor.

In Lisbon, Open House took place on 9 and 10 May, featuring a total of 77 spaces ranging from historic buildings and private kitchens to breweries, hotels and even the Jerónimos Monastery.