Sheet 03 · Master's thesis · 2026

Heatscapes

An experimental transformation of heritage into a resilient cultural house

Project: Master's thesis, Aalborg University, Master in Architecture (group ARCH 08)
Period: February to June 2026
Authors: Agnethe Sohn Østergaard, Caroline Toft Harder and Isabella Ferguson Amores Koch
Supervisors: Michael Lauring (architecture), Kim Jønsson (technical)
Site: R. do Sol 68, Porto, Portugal
Building: About 1892, 12 m wide and 43 m deep. Proposal: 1143 m² gross, 895 m² net
Method: Integrated design process, simulation and design experiments
Tools: Rhinoceros 3D, Grasshopper, Ladybug, Honeybee, Ironbug, EnergyPlus, ClimateStudio, Karamba3D

Elevation A of the south façade: a four storey building with louvers, a planted roof and a tall chimney volume — Elevation A, south façadePDF p. 160

01 · Site

A deep, empty building on Rua do Sol in the historic centre of Porto, and a summer that keeps getting hotter.

The project began during an internship semester in Porto. Working in several architecture and engineering offices, we saw how people coped with heat: portable fans, shading that cut daylight, electric radiators. Solutions that were not part of the building, and that used a lot of energy without giving steady comfort. The term for it is energy poverty.

The building dates from about 1892. It was built for the Porto police and converted to commercial use in 1952, with a mini market on the south side of the ground floor and a shoe repair shop on the north side. It is 12 m wide and 43 m deep, which is unusually generous for a Porto house, and it has stood empty for a long time.

That depth is both a quality and a problem. Daylight does not reach far in, and the plan cannot be cross ventilated. Moisture and mould add to it. What we found worth keeping: the main staircase, traditional tiles in the north part, much of the structure and the historic façade.

Orange sketch of a traditional street in Porto — Sketch of a traditional street in PortoPDF p. 49

02 · Analysis

Who the building is for, what the climate will do to it, and what it has to achieve.

Users. Ageing residents, energy poverty and isolation make people vulnerable in heatwaves. The research also showed that resilience infrastructure fails if people do not feel at home in it. So the building has to be an everyday cultural house first, a place people already know, and a refuge when extreme weather arrives.

Climate. The analysis points to more frequent and more intense heatwaves and less cooling at night. The roof and the south façade are the most exposed to the sun. The other risk is water. Porto has about 150 rainy days a year, mostly in late autumn and winter, and the Douro floods. The site lies 83 m above sea level, outside the flood zones, which makes it a possible refuge for those events too.

From this we set a research question and three groups of design criteria, one for each of Vitruvius' terms. Firmitas: thermal comfort under the adaptive model, a maximum of 41 kWh/m²/year before photovoltaics, and daylight to the European standard. Utilitas: a programme for vulnerable users, staff and people learning about climate. Venustas: an identity that shows the climate response and still feels familiar.

How can a traditional building in Porto be transformed into a climate-adaptive refuge and culture house for vulnerable populations under future climatic conditions?
Research question, thesis PDF p. 85

Heat map of hourly temperatures for observed and future weather, orange and purple — Hourly temperatures, observed and futurePDF p. 71

Axonometric floor plates showing the baseline operative temperature, future weather SSP 8.5, 2055 — Baseline, future weather (SSP 8.5, 2055)PDF p. 78

Sun position diagram on a dome above the building — Sun positionPDF p. 75

Sun position diagram, a second view — Sun positionPDF p. 75

Diagram of the precipitation season and the heat season across the year — Precipitation season and heat seasonPDF p. 85

Diagram with a triangle balanced on a line: visibility and familiarity — Balance: visibility and familiarityPDF p. 87

03 · Concept

One shaft that cools, lights and signals. Plants, water and a courtyard around it.

The first idea that survived was a central ventilation and daylight shaft: a cooling strategy, a source of light and a recognisable feature in one. Around it, vegetation and passive cooling. The roof of the smaller northern building is taken off, so the old courtyard between the two volumes is open again and can be planted.

The ground floor holds a café and a mini market, so that vulnerable users know the building long before they need it as a refuge. The first floor holds an exhibition, a workshop and a health care room, the second floor co-working, and the third floor the staff. The further up, the more private.

Heat is handled in layers: external louvers and green roofs first, natural ventilation next, and cooled supply air from a geothermal heat pump when it is needed. The tall chimney volume on the roof carries photovoltaics and lets daylight and hot air through.

Hand sketch of the initial concept: a vertical section with a central shaft, vegetation and rooms around it — Initial concept sketchPDF p. 100

Initial functions diagram: sections with rounded boxes showing how the functions are stacked from public to private — Initial functions diagramPDF p. 102

04 · Drawings

The proposal in section, elevation, plan and render.

Every strategy is expressed in the architecture. The louvers, the planted roof, the chimney and the vertical vegetation are in the elevations, and the technical room next to the café is shown behind a glass partition, so the building itself becomes part of the exhibition.

Longitudinal section of the main building: four floors, planted roof, and a geothermal line running down into the ground — Longitudinal section, main buildingPDF p. 146

Longitudinal section of the smaller northern volume with a planted roof terrace — Longitudinal section, northern volumePDF p. 147

Six small sections showing the strategies: vegetation, function, rainwater, daylight, natural and mechanical ventilation — Strategy diagramsPDF p. 148

Axonometric functions diagram with the rooms on separate floor plates; the café is outlined with a dashed red line — Functions diagram, the refuge dashed in redPDF p. 149

Axonometric accessibility diagram showing stairs, ramps and the lift between the levels — Accessibility diagramPDF p. 150

Elevation B in line drawing with a planted roof and a spiral stair — Elevation BPDF p. 161

Elevation C of the north side with the chimney volume and the MERCADO sign — Elevation C, northPDF p. 162

Elevation D of the north side, a slender building with deep balconies — Elevation D, northPDF p. 163

Technical section with the chimney, sun angles for summer solstice, equinox and winter solstice, and stack ventilation — Technical section: sun, daylight and stack ventilationPDF p. 153

Technical section through the façade and roof build-up with photovoltaics, vegetation and insulation — Technical section, 1:100PDF p. 159

Axonometric of the geothermal ventilation system: air handling unit, brine, supply, extract and exhaust ducts — Geothermal ventilation systemPDF p. 158

Render of the café: a counter, a long timber table and a wall of reused blue and white tiles — Render, café with reused tilesPDF p. 145

Render of the third floor office under the existing timber roof, with high tables around the void — Render, third floor officePDF p. 152

Render of the street Rua do Duque de Loulé with the new building facade among the neighbours — Render from Rua do Duque de LouléPDF p. 134

Render of the building seen from the south, with an arched passage to the courtyard — Render from the southPDF p. 151

Render of the mini market entrance with a green wall, red awnings and the MERCADO sign — Render, mini market entrancePDF p. 165

Night render of the street with lit windows and wet cobblestones — Render at nightPDF p. 166

Render through the courtyard arch towards the café in rain, water on the paving — Render, rain managementPDF p. 167

05 · Results

Measured against the baseline model, in simulation.

The final proposal reaches 12.7 kWh/m²/year of operational energy after photovoltaic production, 96.45% below the initial demand of 358 kWh/m²/year. The maximum indoor operative temperature in extreme summer falls from 34 °C to 26 °C. Daylight, measured as spatial daylight autonomy, rises from 32.3% to 45%.

The final thermal simulations are annual and use the future climate scenario SSP 8.5 for 2055, with an outdoor maximum of 39 °C. They show no thermal stress under the adaptive comfort model. The rainwater system is sized for a 100 year rainfall, with 31.8 m³ of storage spread over several levels.

During the design process the thermal studies used a simplified building geometry and short time windows, so that many options could be tested. Energy was always simulated over a full year.

Energy use-96.45%

Baseline

358

Heatscapes

12.7

kWh/m²/year. Operational energy demand after photovoltaic production.

Maximum operative temperature-23.5%

Baseline

Heatscapes

°C. Extreme summer conditions, baseline model against final proposal.

Daylight, sDA+39.3%

Baseline