armador affordable housing (Oitoo)

Open competition: first prize
Quality affordable housing has become one of the defining challenges of contemporary urban life. In Portugal, recent state-sponsored programmes have ignited a dynamic wave of architectural competitions, opening new ground for experimentation and social relevance.

For oitoo, the conviction that good housing emerges from human-scale architecture — buildings of sensible proportion, connected through lively and generous public spaces — guided the design of its winning proposal for a 12,000 m² mixed-use residential complex in Lisbon.

Set on a site overlooking the Chelas Valley, in Lisbon, the project brings together 105 apartments, retail and service spaces, parking facilities, and a kindergarten, all arranged around a newly created civic plaza that becomes the heart of the development.

More than a building, the project is conceived as a catalyst for urban regeneration — an active piece of city-making that fills a long-standing urban void. It stitches the new plaza into its surroundings, reconnects fragmented pedestrian routes, and strengthens links with the existing neighbourhood fabric. In doing so, it promotes a renewed sense of place, community, and identity, affirming architecture’s role as a driver of social and urban transformation.