herois de kionga 29

Lisbon, 1909

historical site image

Lisbon, 1911

historical site image

Lisbon, 1913

original plans

Lisbon, 2017

as found

as found

proposal

Like most cities, Lisbon is defined by several rings of urban growth. Growing along the River margins until the 18th century, Lisbon wouldn’t expand inland until the 19th century. Along one of these axes of growth, on the outskirts of the historic centre, we find an early 20th century neighbourhood, built to house the industry workers and a flourishing middle class that emerged along with the city’s industrialization.

In this neighbourhood, oitoo was called to intervene with a 1913 apartment building, which had several additions throughout the 20 th century. Buildings in this area do not generally have the same degree of protection from a heritage standpoint, as their 18 th century and medieval counterparts. That has generated a current situation in which demolition is often the first course of action and entire neighbourhoods are losing their urban and architectonic cohesion, as new buildings and odd expansions take their place.

The project aims to maintain the early 20 th century character of the building, through a quiet intervention, as a good neighbour should. Still, subtle hints of contemporaneous architecture are introduced through detailing and the new floor expansion. A new floor completes the discontinuity of the street elevation and adds financial sustainability to the whole operation. Some recent structures in the backyard are torn down to re-establish the area as a permeable courtyard. The typical floor plan is rearranged so that the kitchen and bath are taken out of the back façade, moving to the core to help structurally reinforce the whole building. As a consequence, the façade is re-designed, free from any obstruction to the amazing views over Lisbon’s western hills through a glazed terrace, that acts as a jardin d’hiver.

Two special features give a theme to the duplexes on the top and ground floor: above, a new Western-facing rooftop terrace and, below, a new high-walled courtyard garden.

A homogeneous, pale-pink exterior paint will unify the whole building as singular, plastic identity. All elements, old and new, including windows and railings will be the same colour. We expect it to soften the sharp Lisbon light while alluding to the early 20 th century palette that gives this area its unique feel.