Case Study: The Fladgate Partnership revives Porto’s historic wine cellars into a world-class cultural destination with Autodesk

How Porto’s World of Wine adaptive-reuse project revamped a historic winemaking site

The Fladgate Partnership faced the challenge of revitalizing a vast expanse of 200-year-old, derelict port wine warehouses in Porto. The goal was to transform the historic site into a major cultural and tourist destination, a complex project requiring meticulous planning to preserve the architectural heritage while integrating modern infrastructure. To achieve this, they partnered with Autodesk and utilized its AutoCAD and Revit software for digital planning and coordination.

Using Autodesk's tools, the project team conducted critical collision tests and digital simulations, which prevented errors and saved significant time and money during the construction of the World of Wine complex. This digital solution allowed the massive adaptive-reuse project to be completed just one month behind schedule, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is a highly successful 37,000-square-meter attraction that now draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and has won multiple prestigious awards for its development.

The Fladgate Partnership

Margarida Caldeira

Practice Principal