We first visited the beautiful city of Oporto in Portugal in 2000 and were instantly struck by its unique style and the dramatic sloping banks of the river Douro. We could immediately see the redevelopment potential of the dilapidated, but prominent, buildings along the riverbank. However, at that time it was too early to invest, due to major infrastructure problems facing the city.

During the following five years, there was huge public investment into the city's infrastructure

system, resulting in a new motorway system, metro and airport. This was coupled with a significant political drive to realise the potential of the riverfront area and so we returned to Oporto and started to research the market anew.

A local partnership was formed with an influential architect and this relationship has proved to be productive both in finding new opportunities and navigating the complex Portuguese planning system.

To date we have acquired four projects and have established a local office.

Our first project was completed in December 2009, consisting of 45 luxury apartments with integral car parking.

Find out more about our projects in Portugal by visiting our website www.squarestone.com.pt