Siza Vieira is the author of the new Terminal of Cais do Cavaco

The Administration dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo, S. A., announces that it is developing a project for the construction of a maritime-tourist ship terminal on the south bank of the Douro River, on the western edge of the Historic Centre of Vila Nova de Gaia, in a place called Cais do Cavaco

The APDL and the Vila Nova de Gaia Municipal Council are in agreement with the choice of location, the project, the architect and the urban planning framework, providing this area with new facilities to support the operations of hotel ships sailing on the Douro Waterway and to boost the area's tourism, economic and urban development.

The Terminal will allow vessels to berth, passengers and crew to board and disembark, and supply operations to be carried out in adequate conditions of safety and comfort.

The infrastructure will have four berths with capacity to accommodate four hotel ships and the possibility of berthing an extra ship for minor maintenance, cargo or other purposes.

The Terminal will also include the installation of a small nautical leisure center with capacity for around fifty pleasure boats.

The Terminal Building seeks to minimize its impact on the banks of the River Douro, allowing a view of the hillside to the rear and integrating it naturally into the landscape.

At this stage, the environmental impact study is underway, an EIA process coordinated by the APA (Portuguese Environment Agency). At the end of this process, APDL will make the public presentation of the project, which is the responsibility of the most awarded Portuguese architect, Álvaro Siza Vieira.

APDL, the Vila Nova de Gaia City Council and Pritzker Siza Vieira seek to ensure that the Gare Fluvial do Cavaco will relate to the natural landscape and the other buildings, in order to integrate with the site, without losing the protagonism and public character that a building of this nature should have.