Architektur | OODA - Architects
OODA - Architects - Miramar Tower - Porto - Portugal
| 2025-09-22 |     |
Standing out for its uniqueness in the landscape and for its proximity to the sea, Miramar Tower is similar to the buildings in Pasteleira Park to the north, in proportion and dimension, but otherwise completely distinctive in its concept approach. The volumetric composition is the result of the architectural drive and ambition to develop housing typologies with more than 200 square meters of balcony areas per floor. On top of the podium, a vertical volume with 15 storeys emerges, parallel to the road, and with roughly the same height as the tower buildings in this area. By locating the building in the most central part of the plot, it ensures maximum spacing for all adjacent buildings. Evidencing a structuralist matrix with vertical dendriform section, the building is adaptable to the typology optimization. The floors, organized with one or two rooms, create a spiral speech where the apparent rotation and modelling of the terraces at 360 degrees give it a visual and real sense of verticality.
Each house has its own individuality with a surrounding terrace and garden. To better address the uniqueness of the project, and to avoid a ‘dejá-vu’ feeling, the tower gets some dynamism by ‘sliding’ the horizontal slabs on the balcony area. The balconies create both the concept theme and the opportunity for the plastic and sculptural exercise that was conceived in concrete. Between the fluidity of the common spaces that are lost in the interior-exterior relationship, and even in the distant horizon, and the compartmentalization of the rooms, the uses are privileged by the exception. On the ground floor, an atrium associated to other uses has natural vegetation that provides a microclimate of biodiversity linked to the natural surroundings. Between a revivalism that evokes the tower and the notions of total space as total life, capable of absorbing the environment that surrounds it, a vigorous and proud image of its scale is obtained.
About OODA
OODA (Oporto Office for Design and Architecture) is a 15-year-old architecture studio practice from Porto, Portugal that has continuously challenged the norms of architectural practice. Founded in 2010 by Diogo Brito and Rodrigo Vilas-Boas – later joined by Francisco Lencastre, João Jesus, and Julião Pinto Leite – OODA grew from a core team of 2 into a diverse studio of over 60 collaborators.
The studio’s philosophy is grounded in rigorous observation of context and culture, strategic design thinking, and bold execution. In practice, this means architecture is never produced in a vacuum: each design responds intelligently to its environment and social context, whether it’s repurposing a historic structure or crafting a contemporary landmark.
Determined to import global ideas and export local excellence, OODA keeps an open mind to new technologies as well as traditional craft.
Photo credit: Fernando Guerra