Film Museum in Oporto

Dedicated to the famous Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, the film museum in Oporto bears a certain resemblance to a camera, with the projecting window elements suggesting two large lenses. The building stands on an elevated area of land in the centre of the harbour city. Because of the proximity and height of the neighbouring developments, the lenses were located to afford views of the sea and the River Douro. The sculptural form of the upper storey, with its dark-grey rendered finish, is set off against the plinth-like structure of the ground floor, which is clad with untreated aluminium panels. Similarly, the bright, warm tones of the internal finishings are contrasted with the dark exterior.