CRF, CLUBE RECREATIVO FREAMUNDENSE
How to design a gentleman’s club in the 21st century?
‘Clube Recreativo Freamundense’ is a private institution with more than 60 years of history, reminiscent of the old gentlemen’s clubs, where the town’s notables once gathered and still gather to share interests in professional, political, artistic, and literary fields. Over the years, as its members aged, the club’s activities declined. The current board has expressed a renewed commitment to revitalize the institution by attracting new members from younger generations.
The project transforms a mid-1970s apartment, the current clubhouse, adapting it to the new needs and functions. The main room was enlarged by removing circulation areas and connected to the former bar, which had been installed in an isolated, characterless space. The two complementary rooms, the meeting room and the TV room, are now separated by large sliding panels, allowing either individual use or the functioning of the entire venue as a large multipurpose space.
The project asserts its contemporary character through materials and finishes while honoring the club’s history by restoring original furniture and objects.
Photography: Vítor Leal Barros
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