Escadinhas Footpaths by Paulo Moreira Architectures and Verkron Art Collective in Portugal

Project: Escadinhas Footpaths
Architects: Paulo Moreira Architectures + Verkron Art Collective
Location: Matosinhos, Portugal
Area: 6,458 sq ft
Year: 2021
Photography: Ivo Tavares Studio

Escadinhas Footpaths by Paulo Moreira Architectures and Verkron Art Collective

"Escadinhas Footpaths" is a project that combines architecture, art and nature. It is a network of pedestrian paths connecting the hilly district of Monte Histo with the banks of the River Lesa in Matosinhos. The initiative aims to demonstrate added value of low-budget projects for more "hidden" and abandoned urban spaces in our cities.

Over the course of a year, the process brought together an interdisciplinary team of architects, local builders, artists and a wide network of partners. In the first phase of construction work, the steps leading to Rua das Escadinhas were restored — an unusual urban element connecting the upper and lower levels of the western slope of Monte Histo. The stairs and railings were renovated, and a new boundary between public steps and the adjacent private territory was created in the form of benches, allowing the stairs to be used as a resting place.

Following the path connecting the base of the stairs to the River Lesa, an old ruin was restored and transformed into a nature surrounded rest area. Small-scale interventions reinstated the original character of the place, eliminating unsafe additions made over the years. Careful restoration, including the installation of benches in each "room" of the building, encouraged people to spend time there and turned it into a social gathering spot.

This project was promoted by INSTITUTO and developed by Paulo Moreira Architectures, with Verkron, within the framework of the Bairros Saudáveis initiative, also supported by InResidence / Ágora – Cultura e Desporto and Uniao de Freixo - Custóias, Leca do Balio and Guifões.

- Project description and images provided by Ivo Tavares Studio

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