atelier

Who we are
An architecture practice founded in 2001, in the city of Porto,
by Adriana Floret (architecture) and David Afonso (philosophy).
It is no accident that rehabilitation of built heritage is one of the
reference areas of the studio’s work. Indeed, it is the backbone
of the identity and model of the work method – integrated and
interdisciplinary. It accepts architecture as a craft practice,
a trade that is performed using academic and technological
know-how and accumulated on-the-job experience, marked in
particular by the specificity of the history of architecture and
local construction methods. In addition to heritage issues, the
practice’s identity was largely constructed in tandem with civic
participation and the exercise of this profession as a craft, an
artisanal activity. Today, this characteristic is still an identifying
feature inscribed in our work methodology and organisation.
Private commissions have been the core of the studio’s trajectory,
focusing on small-scale rehabilitation projects which ultimately
formed a specialist team. At the same time, the practice carried
out a number of urban studies and surveys of hundreds of
buildings. It also produced base documents used to draw up
strategic rehabilitation plans for a series of city blocks in Porto’s
Baixa, the downtown area, and in the Historic Centre. At present,
the practice’s commissions and its portfolio are richly diverse,
embracing projects that do not fall within the scope of urban
rehabilitation in the true sense of the word, although still strongly
influenced by that experience.

Adriana Floret
[Muriaé, Minas Gerais, 1976]

Architect, General Coordinator

Graduated in Architecture from Lusíada University of Porto with
a postgraduate degree in Built Heritage Rehabilitation from the
Engineering Faculty of Porto University. Founding partner of
AMIC – Amigos do Museu da Ciência e Indústria, member of
the board of Quercus Regional Section (2005-8) and founding
partner and chairperson of the Board of Directors (2012-14)
and chairperson of the General Meeting (2015-17) of APRUPP –
Associação Portuguesa para a Reabilitação Urbana e Protecção
do Património. Consultant for the LiderA Environmental
Certification System, and visiting lecturer in the postgraduate
degree in Built Heritage Rehabilitation at the Engineering Faculty
of Porto University. Manager and partner
of the Floret Arquitectura practice (Adriana Floret – Arquitectura
Sociedade Unipessoal, Lda.), responsible for studio coordination
and management.

David Afonso
[Gafanha da Nazaré, 1973]

Executive Coordinator

Graduated in Philosophy, with a postgraduate degree in Local
and Regional Studies, from the Arts Faculty of Porto University,
and in Urban Cities and Cultures, from the Economics Faculty
of Coimbra University. Founding partner and chairperson of the
Audit Board (2015-17) of APRUPP – Associação Portuguesa para
a Reabilitação Urbana e Protecção do Património.
Executive Coordinator and Heritage consultant at Floret
Arquitectura.