Pocinho High Performance Rowing Centre by Álvaro Fernandes Andrade

Although one might think that Olympic-level athletes would have little to do with wine, this rather unusual but highly efficient sporting centre in Portugal brings the two together — only it does so through its architecture! Situated in the Upper Douro Valley,

Where the special grapes that make the famous Porto wine have been cultivated for centuries, this new sporting centre for canoeing and rowing designed by Portuguese architect Álvaro Fernandes Andrade is inspired by the region’s terraced vineyards and the haphazard white volumes of the estate buildings found there. The High Performance Centre of Pocinho is part of a national network of ‘High Performance Centres’ built for Olympic-level sports training, and is conveniently situated a few hundred meters away from the river Douro, where the athletes mainly train.

Since the whole Upper Douro Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the architect wanted to integrate the building into its surroundings as smoothly as possible — hence the use of earth-coloured stone and the camouflaged terraced structure of the main bulk of the complex, which actually contains the living quarters for some 130 athletes. Surrounding the terraces of this main ‘Residential Zone’ —much like a traditional whitewashed orchard wall— is an elongated prismatic volume containing two more areas: the ‘Social Zone’ found at the highest point of the complex, and the ‘Training Zone’ at the very bottom. All of these volumes have acquired their random-looking shape not through architectural whim, but in order to expose the interiors to as much sunlight as possible during the winter whilst keeping them in the shade during summertime. Apart from its interesting design and state-of-the-art training conditions, another special treat awaits the High Performance Centre of Pocinho’s visiting athletes: lying in any of its beds, one can see the stars at night through the roofs of the dorms’ north-facing skylights.