As the southern entrance to Expo ’98, Porta do Mar embodies a dual ambition: to serve as a symbolic gateway to the new urban district while preserving the industrial memory of the site’s past. Central to this approach is the retention of the former Petrogal cracking tower, an imposing industrial structure that now stands as a monument to the transformation of the area.

A striking feature of the design is the pedestrian bridge, made of opaline glass, which radiates fluorescent white light at night. More than a practical crossing, it is a luminous arch, reinforcing the notion of threshold and passage—both into the Expo site and into a new era for Lisbon’s riverfront.

This composition of past and present, of industrial heritage and contemporary intervention, mirrors the larger vision for Parque das Nações: a district where the ruins of an old industrial zone are not erased but reinterpreted through dynamic, forward-thinking architecture. Porta do Mar stands as both a gateway and a foundation, framing the tower in a way that redefines it for a new urban identity.