ICON Douro Building

ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

ICON Douro Building

Luís Pedro Silva, arquitecto Lda

LEAD ARCHITECT
Luís Pedro Silva

PROGRAM
Offices/services

AREA
13762 M²

YEAR
2022

LOCATION
Porto, Portugal

CATEGORY
Office Buildings

The ICON Douro project is located in Oporto, next to the crossroads with the largest road traffic in the north of Portugal.

ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

It was promoted by Civilria and is the new headquarters of the Ageas Portugal Group.

It integrates 12,500 sqm of office area, catering, and complementary programs and is accompanied by a noteworthy public-use garden of private status, in the most important business area of the city, between the accessibility of the south and the connection to the main port and airport infrastructures of the north of the country.

The architectural concept was designed at 3 levels: the urban and environmental regeneration, the morphology and architectural language of the building, and the quality of the interior areas and environments promoting the expression, comfort, and functionality of both spaces and activities for all users.

ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The first great benefit of the project was recovering the urban condition in a place that had degenerated by the obsolescence of the initial industrial vocation.

In this new context, the building was designed according to a curvilinear matrix, sweetened to the specificity of the movement and context of the road node.

Its horizontality is strongly marked by the shading elements that rise with opposite movements, culminating in an inclined rooftop, which establishes the existence of a mezzanine.

ICON Douro Building
ICON Douro Building
ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The option for a central core, elongated, open, and sheltered, in addition to increasing the capacity for visual interaction between the different floors and in this way, between the various appropriations by the users, aims to increase natural luminosity for the office areas, to achieve the reduction of the use of artificial lighting.

An exceptional amount of light is attained through the core because, in reality, it doubles the number of facades.

ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The careful design of this large central skylight has been considered to allow the appropriate thermal and comfort conditions.

In addition to the reinforced concrete walls and glazed facades, the use of traditional materials of the city, such as the ceramic tile module, also stands out as an important factor in the intervention.

In addition to the outstanding access from the street, particular care was taken with the garden’s terrain morphology, sheltering it from the highway, and enjoying on the opposite side, the presence of a lake that complements the landscape and environmental significance of the intervention.

ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG

The global concern about the best options in the current context of decarbonization has led to the fact that, in summary, the set of measures adopted in the different technical dimensions of the project has made possible the obtainment of the classification of Excellent in the BREEAM certification.


ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ICON Douro Building
© Fernando Guerra | FG+SG
ICON Douro Building
ICON Douro Building
ICON Douro Building


ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
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ICON Douro Building
Detail
ICON Douro Building
Diagram


ICON Douro Building
Elevation A
ICON Douro Building
Elevation B
ICON Douro Building
Elevation C
ICON Douro Building
Elevation D


ICON Douro Building
Section 1
ICON Douro Building
Section 2


ICON Douro Building
Basement plan
ICON Douro Building
General floor plan
ICON Douro Building
Roof plan
ICON Douro Building
Typical floor plan


ICON Douro Building
Location