O Novo Salão Metropolitano
From harbour to parlour
The geomorphology of the site named the city of Oporto. The city in turn gave its name to its best known trage good - the port wine (Vinho do Porto). With the wine emerged a symbiotic relation between the cities Villa Nova da Gaia and Oporto. Today Oporto represents a metroplitan region,the Grande Area Metropolitana do Porto (G.A.M.P.), which competes in the globalised contest of city regions.
In this regard the Douro Valley is considered as one space to be formulated. The design area contains three zones for interventions. The central zone covers the touristic sites between Alfandega and Ponte Dom Luis on both shores. The areas of Massarelos to the west and Fontainhas to the east are enhanced with small interventions on the scale of the neighbourhoods.
The main focus of creating a new Waterfront is put in the central zone with design proposals for new public spaces and urban program. The Salão, ital. Salone was always regarded as a reception or assembly room. It is a high quality public space furnished with a melange of old and new buildings and well connected with a new bridge to an urban loop for strolling.