Perafita (Portugal) 2025
Critical Concrete and Escola Superior Artística do Porto (ESAP)
At the Meco Animal Sanctuary in Perafita, near Porto, Critical Concrete brought together 13 participants from eight countries to design and build three structures for rescued animals: a geodesic dome for the pigs, a two-storey goat house for Pepi the dwarf goat, and a covered feeding station for the horses.
The sanctuary was founded by Xana and Filipe, who rescue animals from difficult situations – elderly horses saved from slaughter, abandoned pets, injured wildlife rehabilitated and returned to nature. The buildings were a direct response to real needs: Porto’s long humid winters, animals requiring dry shelter, a growing sanctuary with limited resources.
Construction used tyre foundations with reclaimed tyres from a local garage, a recycled 33m² metal roof structure salvaged from a collapsed on-site building, and repurposed truck tarps. Students worked across three parallel projects with deliberately different precision levels – from a technically demanding geodesic dome to more improvised carpentry and agroforestry landscaping.
The programme follows Critical Concrete’s ten-year methodology: mentors guide rather than build, students rotate between projects according to interest, and hands-on construction is complemented by coffee lectures covering natural insulation, dome geometry, circular material strategies, and agroforestry principles.
No prior construction experience required.
Client: Meco Animal Sanctuary
Tutors: Samuel Kalika, Gianluca Stasi, Michelle Spångberg and Laurane Coornaert
Research question: Can we do the impossible and have fun while at it?
Links:
17 people, 1 goat, 3 horses and 3 pigs
Instagram: @criticalconcrete
11-50, Architecture, Critical Concrete, Days, Escola Superior Artística do Porto, Extra-curricular, Graduates, Initiated by institution, Permanent, Phd, Portugal, Postgraduate, Self-funded, Students with tutor, Sustainable Design, Undergraduate