Via Porta
The design of Via Porta has been approached as an urban exercise, an attempt to construct experiences reminiscent of the density and complexity of narrow Italian alleyways in a distinctly different setting. The project also demonstrates a detailed understanding of hospitality, employing design skills to support and value the processes and rituals inherent in preparing and sharing food.
The site in suburban Mont Albert didn’t immediately suggest a Mediterranean connection. An anonymous aluminium shopfront, previously home to a manufacturer of trophies, sat behind a small asphalt forecourt alongside a few similarly uninspiring neighbours, adrift from any established
