SPACE April 2024 (No. 677)
fala began architectural work in Porto, Portugal amidst the aftermath of the 2011 global economic crisis. To deal with the crisis, cities in Portugal began investing in tourism industry by renovating their old houses, which then led to the boom of Airbnb businesses located at historic centres of Lisbon and Porto. In such a situation where anonymous investors or brokers were beginning to replace the traditional clients, fala in turn discovered an opportunity to develop a new housing type and a unique vocabulary by focusing on architectural elements. About a decade later, fala today has a sizeable collection of 54 completed buildings and the remaining 150 or unbuilt projects. With their irregular layouts of elements such as walls, floors, ceilings, pillars, and windows, fala’s spaces reflect its explorations toward meticulousness and cheerfulness. Let us have a look at fala’s workspace.
House in Rua do Paraíso (2017). A bourgeois 19th century single house was renovated. The back façade features a bold pattern of vertical stripes assembled with white, green and black marble. ©Giulietta Margot
