On the ground floor there will be the reception, cafetaria and several shops. The other areas of the building will be for workshops and studios where artists may develop their own creativity.
There will be a connection from this Institute of Design to Gaspar Roriz street/ S. Francisco square, bringing back to the city the old street of Soalhães and, at the same time, encouraging a pedestrian crosswalk through this new public space.
The intervention works carried out in consortium with the company CARI, also belonging to the dst group, foresees a full renewal of the old factory and the maintenance of wooden window frames, balconies, and their forged iron, as well as the lettring of the old Ramada Factory.
"This project has a special importance to dst since it allows us to continue promoting art in our country, giving it a new space to grow and, simultaneously, strengthen the regional economy", said said José Teixeira, CEO of the dst group.
The municipal councillor from the Guimarães Municipal Works Department, Domingos Bragança, assumes that this work is a contribution to strengthen region competitiveness, contributing for the development of traditional textile and footwear industries as well as to others more recent, such as metallurgy and metalworking".
The new Design Institute of Minho's University shall be concluded In September 2011.