Canning Factory by OODA: A Landmark in Adaptive Reuse Architecture

Revitalizing Industrial Heritage in Matosinhos

The Canning Factory by OODA represents a groundbreaking approach to adaptive reuse architecture, transforming the historic Brandão & Companhia Ltd factory into a vibrant mixed-use development. Located in Matosinhos, Portugal, and integrated into the Matosinhos Sul Urbanization Plan by Álvaro Siza, the project restores the building’s industrial legacy while redefining its role in the city’s urban fabric.

Honoring the Past, Designing for the Future

Once a hub of Portugal’s canning industry, the factory embodied the area’s deep connection to the sea and coastal economy. Over time, however, the structure suffered from fragmented interventions that diluted its identity. OODA’s vision sought to reclaim this architectural heritage by reconstructing the original building envelope and chimney, restoring the structure’s symbolic presence.

The new design carefully integrates medical laboratories, a health clinic, commercial areas, offices, and collective housing—programs that create a multi-layered urban ecosystem. This convergence of functions redefines the factory as a living space that nurtures community, innovation, and well-being.

Spatial Composition and Green Integration

Though the original volumetry occupied nearly the entire lot, the intervention introduces green, permeable spaces that allow light and air to penetrate the dense urban block. These landscaped courtyards establish visual and physical connections between diverse programs while serving as public gathering zones.

Ground floors house commercial spaces and services, while offices occupy the first level. Residential blocks are positioned above, elevated and interconnected through circulation spaces that maintain a sense of openness and accessibility. The dynamic layering of functions transforms the site into a microcosm of contemporary urban life.

Materiality as a Dialogue Between Eras

Material choices emphasize the dialogue between heritage and modernity. Pigmented concrete reflects the permanence and solidity of the industrial past, while aluminum stretched plates introduce lightness and a contemporary expression. Suspended volumes above the patio exemplify this contrast, their proportions inspired by the nearby sea.

This interplay of density and intangibility creates a unified architectural language that bridges historical continuity with contemporary design ambition. The materiality ensures the project evolves with its coastal environment while maintaining a timeless presence.

A Sustainable Urban Strategy

The distribution of mass across separate blocks generates a volumetric composition that is both functional and sustainable. By revitalizing an underused industrial site, the project reduces urban sprawl while injecting new life into the surrounding community. Its mixed-use program not only preserves memory but also drives economic, social, and cultural renewal.

OODA’s Canning Factory demonstrates how adaptive reuse architecture can revitalize neighborhoods, preserve history, and align with the principles of sustainable city-making. It is more than a building—it is a catalyst for urban transformation.