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    Post Company and Lázaro Rosa-Violàn turn 17th-century convent into Lisbon hotel

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    Design studios Post Company and Lázaro Rosa-Violàn have combined historic features and contemporary touches for the Locke de Santa Joana hotel on the site of a convent in Lisbon, Portugal.

    A 17th-century convent building has been renovated and integrated alongside newly constructed additions to form part of the hotel.
    The Locke de Santa Joana hotel occupies a 17th-century convent in LisbonAmerican studio Post Company designed the interiors of the rooms, while Barcelona-based Lázaro Rosa-Violàn oversaw the design of the hotel’s public spaces.
    Locke de Santa Joana is the latest and biggest property from Locke Hotels – set across nine floors, it contains 370 units comprised of hotel rooms, apartments and suites, as well as a range of public spaces.
    The studios refined and highlighted existing architectural details”The hotel was originally a convent built in the 1600s – in designing the rooms, we wanted to marry this rich history with the contemporary culture of Lisbon,” Post Company partner Jou-Yie Chou told Dezeen.

    While the rooms’ interiors are largely clean and minimal, Post Company refined and highlighted architectural features including archways, pillars and mouldings.
    “We wanted to create a dialogue between the rooms’ architectural ‘bones’ and their interiors,” said Chou.
    Contemporary furniture and lighting elements were added to the roomsThese historic details were complemented with modern furniture, lighting fixtures and decorative elements added in natural tones.
    “Chairs in the kitchens and living spaces have a clear foundation in pews or church furniture, but still read as modern,” said Chou.

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    “Mohair and boucle upholstered furniture in sinuous shapes lend geometric friction, while clean, minimal millwork is softened by over-stuffed textiles,” Chou continued.
    Fabrics, ceramics and stone finishes were sourced from the surrounding area, including rugs and textiles from local makers, as well as a Portuguese stone, Rose Aurora, for the washbasins and a local limestone for the bathroom floors.
    Glass and wood partitions were used to divide spaces within suite-style roomsEach suite-style room has its own living area and burnt orange kitchenette alongside a bedroom, which was divided using a glass and wood partition screen.
    “Glass and wood partitions provide design interest and functionality all at once,” said Chou.
    “They offer both privacy and room definition, creating a residential feel while still allowing light to permeate the room.”
    Lázaro Rosa-Violàn oversaw the design of the public spaces including a cafePublic spaces within the hotel include restaurants, cafes, bars, a co-working and meeting space, as well as a gallery to display pieces found during the renovation of the convent.
    There is also a courtyard pool at the centre of the hotel, framed by dark wooden decking.
    Terracotta pots and mosaic tiles were incorporated throughout the hotel’s interiorLázaro Rosa-Violàn continued the natural, rustic colour palette of terracotta, yellows, greens and blues used in the rooms for the shared spaces.
    “We tried to evoke warm, contemporary spaces while still taking inspiration from the colour tones of the existing architectural elements,” studio founder Lázaro Rosa-Violàn told Dezeen.
    Blue and white mosaic tiles were intended to reference the hotel’s location in PortugalCeramics feature heavily throughout the hotel, with large plant-filled terracotta pots and mosaic tiles traditionally associated with Lisbon lining the walls and tabletops.
    “When talking about Lisbon, the first thing that comes to mind is the distinctive tiles adorning the city’s buildings,” said Rosa-Violàn.
    “We’ve incorporated this element in a modern and contemporary way, combining them with rich textures, patterns, natural materials and colourful fabrics, accentuating the historical architecture.”
    Since its first location opened in 2016, Locke has expanded to include 17 sites across the UK and mainland Europe.
    Other Locke Hotels recently featured on Dezeen include Locke am Platz in Zurich and Locke at East Side Gallery in Berlin.
    The photography is courtesy of Locke Hotels.

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      Alarquitectos lines Lisbon apartment with colour-blocked walls and pine wood

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      Portuguese studio Alarquitectos has used walls of pink and blue to brighten São Sebastião 123, an apartment converted from a 20th-century office in Lisbon.

      Tasked with revitalising the old workspace’s dark and poorly ventilated interiors, Alarquitectos opened it up by removing the existing partitions and adding a courtyard.
      Along with an existing outdoor space that has been reorganised, this courtyard doubles as a lightwell for the 167-metre-square apartment.
      Walls of pink and blue decorate the São Sebastião 123 apartmentSão Sebastião 123 is organised with a series of “fluid” living spaces at its front and more private spaces, including the bedrooms, at the rear.
      Narrow corridors brightened by the colour-blocked walls lead into the airy, open-plan living area that is illuminated by a window and full-height opening connected to a slim balcony.

      In the living area, a shelving unit runs the length of the room and is paired with pine flooring and grey-toned furnishings.
      A sliding door connects the living space to the kitchenA sliding door leads from the living space into a kitchen “box”, which is enclosed on both sides by deep-blue cabinets topped with metal counters, and complemented by terrazzo flooring.
      Bronze detailing is used for lighting fixtures, mirrors and door knobs throughout the home.
      The kitchen features deep-blue cabinets and terrazzo flooring”We envisioned the kitchen as a vibrant focal point, hence the striking colour of the kitchen box,” studio co-founder Mafalda Ambrósio told Dezeen.
      “We sought cool colours that contrast with the warm tones of the pine wood,” she continued.
      “This colour palette was inspired by the aggregates in the kitchen terrazzo, resulting in a deep blue with green pigments and a light pink.”
      There is a dining room with an oak table and three pendant lightsAdjacent to the kitchen is a dining area with an oak dining table and three pendant lights. Further counter space and shelving are provided along one side.
      To the back of the dining area, a full-height door opens up to the new enclosed courtyard, which is lined with ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring and decorated with black-steel furniture and leafy plants.

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      A glazed opening onto the courtyard draws light into a bedroom, while a smaller circular opening illuminates the adjacent corridor – operating as a “physical bridge between the interior and exterior”.
      “We extended our focus to the exterior space, not merely as a source of natural light and ventilation but also as an extension of the living experience,” Ambrósio said. “The materials for the patios were meticulously chosen to create a sense of refinement and tranquillity.”
      Ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring features in the courtyardSão Sebastião 123 is complete with two small workspaces beside the living area and a shared bathroom lined with ceramic tiles and terrazzo flooring matching the external courtyard.
      Other recent projects defined by colourful interiors include a playful seaside hotel that uses colour blocking to distinguish different areas and a residential conversion with jagged walls that reference a lightning bolt.
      The photography is by Do mal o menos.

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      Fala Atelier designs Lisbon home with “very Portuguese” materials

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      Architecture studio Fala Atelier decked out the angular spaces of the 087 house in Lisbon with oversized spots and stripes, which also feature on its bold marble facade.

      Designed by Porto-based studio Fala Atelier, 087 is a three-storey home in the Portuguese capital with a rectilinear facade decorated with chunky marble shapes.
      The 087 house features a facade decorated with chunky marble shapesThe studio, known for its playful use of geometry, created custom carpentry from locally sourced materials to accommodate the home’s curved and staggered walls and the sloping ceilings within the building.
      A garden-facing kitchen on the ground floor includes terrazzo flooring and stepped timber cabinetry decorated with bold black and white stripes and topped with marble slabs.
      A funnel-shaped extractor fan adds an eclectic touchUnusual features such as a funnel-shaped, teal-hued extractor fan add an eclectic touch. This Fala Atelier-designed piece can also be found in a windowless garage in Lisbon that the studio converted for a couple.

      “There are no elegant extractors on the market,” Fala Atelier partner Filipe Magalhães told Dezeen.
      “All of them look like nasty appliances. With the kitchen in the way of the window, we knew we would have to integrate the fan. Since we couldn’t make it disappear, we celebrated the piece,” he added.
      The open-plan kitchen is connected to the living spaceThe open-plan kitchen connects to the living area, which is characterised by pinewood flooring dotted with geometric walnut accents.
      “The colours of the stripes and the dots on the floor really try to be noble,” said Magalhães.
      Bespoke Fala Atelier-designed doors and window frames match the kitchen cabinetsThe space also features doors designed by the studio and caramel-coloured Ligne Roset Togo sofas – a quilted and low-slung design classic created by Michel Ducaroy in 1973.
      This seating was positioned next to a boxy fireplace clad with gleaming white ceramic tiles and a squat display plinth finished in veiny black marble.
      Custom cabinetry also features on the upper floors”We tried to diversify the material palette as much as possible while still making it quite banal,” explained Magalhães.
      “The choices are very Portuguese, but the mixture aims at being more than just that,” added the architect.
      Board-formed concrete ceilings were included throughoutUpstairs, the same bespoke cabinetry as in the kitchen was used to form larger cupboards across the curved and angular private spaces of the two upper floors.
      Board-formed concrete ceilings, which also feature downstairs, were paired with oversized rounded mirrors in the bathrooms and a mixture of timber and marble flooring.

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      The garden-facing facade follows the same geometry as its street-facing component, also featuring circular and rectilinear decorative shapes.
      “This house is a lot about the relationship with the garden,” said Magalhães, noting the floor-to-ceiling glazing that connects the indoor and outdoor spaces.
      087 focuses on “the relationship with the garden”Fala Atelier has designed several homes in a similar style, including six micro-houses in Porto with geometric forms and concrete finishes and another Porto property topped with a striped concrete roof.
      The photography is by Francisco Ascensao and Giulietta Margot.

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      Moooi furnishings “tell a different story on every floor” of Lisbon hotel says Rebelo de Andrade

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      Father and son architect duo Luís and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade explain how they furnished Lisbon’s Art Legacy Hotel entirely with Moooi products in this video produced by Dezeen for the Dutch furniture brand.

      Lisbon practice Rebelo De Andrade designed the interiors of the five star Art Legacy Hotel, located in the Baixa-Chiado district in the city’s centre.
      The hotel is notable for its exclusive use of Moooi products and rooms with bold primary colour schemes.
      Art Legacy Hotel is a five star hotel in Lisbon”Hospitality is always about image and stories,” said Luís Rebelo De Andrade, founder of the studio, in the exclusive Dezeen video interview. “We wanted the guests, when they come to this hotel, to have a completely unexpected experience.”
      “So, we proposed to our client that we make a hotel with only Moooi products, to give it a very strong identity.”

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      Moooi’s products were used throughout the hotel, including carpets, furniture, lighting, wall coverings and art pieces.
      “Moooi is everywhere in the building,” said Tiago Rebelo De Andrade, who is partner and principal architect at the studio and Luís Rebelo De Andrade’s son. “When you enter the hotel, all the colours, all the textures, all the furniture from Moooi helps us to tell a different story in every floor.
      Rebelo De Andrade furnished the Art Legacy Hotel entirely with Moooi productsThe project is a renovation of a historical office building. Alongside overhauling the hotel’s interior, Rebelo De Andrade also redesigned its facade.
      According to Tiago Rebelo De Andrade, Moooi’s blend of modernity and classical references suited the studio’s approach to designing the hotel’s interiors.
      “Moooi is classic but in a way that can also be modern,” he said. “It’s a modern-classic building.”
      Art Legacy Hotel is a renovation of a historic building in Lisbon’s centreLuís Rebelo De Andrade decided to partner with Moooi on the hotel’s interiors after visiting the brand’s Museum of Extinct Animals exhibition at Milan design week in 2018.
      Each room in the Art Legacy Hotel has either a blue, red, yellow or green colour scheme, with matching wall coverings, furniture and tiling in the bathrooms.
      “When I first met Moooi’s products, I felt that it uses a lot of primary colours,” he said. “So I used primary colours in a very strong way in the hotel. They are colours that provoke you.”
      Moooi’s lighting, furniture, wall coverings and carpets are used throughout Art Legacy HotelIn the video interview, the duo also discussed their working relationship.
      “My son, he provokes me,” said Luís Rebelo De Andrade. “We had to educate ourselves on how to work together.”
      “I offer my experience, he offers his youth in projects,” he continued. “So I think it’s a good mix.”
      Rebelo De Andrade used primary colour schemes in Art Legacy Hotel’s rooms”It’s difficult because it’s a father and son relationship,” added Tiago Rebelo De Andrade. “We are always arguing, but at the end of the day, we drink a bottle of wine so that we can make peace with each other.”
      Other recent projects from Moooi include the IDEO-designed Pallana suspension lamp, made up of adjustable ring lights, and the rope-like Knitty Chair designed by Nika Zupanc.
      The photography is by João Guimarães.
      Partnership content
      This video was produced by Dezeen for Moooi as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.

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      Bacana Studio designs “amphibious” interiors for riverfront restaurant in Lisbon

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      Lisbon interior design practice Bacana Studio took cues from Portugal’s coastal traditions for the interiors of a João Luís Carrilho da Graça-designed Anfibio restaurant.

      Located alongside the Tejo river, the restaurant was designed to “merge the duality of the sea and the land,” the interiors studio told Dezeen.
      Striped benches create a corridor from the bar to the terraceNamed Anfibio – Latin for amphibious, meaning suited for both land and water – the restaurant serves both local seafood and “countryside produce”.
      It is located in a glass-walled, pavilion-like structure designed by local architecture studio João Luís Carrilho da Graça alongside the Tejo river and its interiors were informed by its riverfront location drawing on the “dazzling reflections of the sun on the water”.
      The lighting is designed to “allow Anfibio to transform between day and night”Within the 500-square-metre restaurant, which is used as a nightclub in the evenings, wooden flooring was stained with a “watery green” colour and a mirror-like fabric was used on the ceiling to reflect and refract light.

      “The building’s architecture aims to blend in and go unnoticed, striving to merge with the river and reflect the city of Lisbon,” said Bacana Studio founder Ingrid Aparicio.
      The restaurant is located on the Tejo riverAccording to the Bacana Studio, the open plan layout and five-metre-high ceilings posed a lighting and acoustic challenge.
      As a result, the studio focused on “creating visual and functional interest from the ground up” with decorative elements, lighting and architectural features rising up from the floor.
      “It’s the lighting itself that shapes and defines the spaces,” Aparicio explained. “We devised a concept where lighting emanates from the furniture, creating intimate spaces and avoiding the sensation of being in a vast and cold space.”
      Light fittings emerge from the furnitureSmall brass-shaded table lamps and arched brass and glass lamps, which were crafted to resemble the antennas of aquatic creatures, provide ambient lighting for each table and unify the space.
      Visitors are greeted by a curvilinear “snake sofa” that divides the restaurant into two areas – an intimate zone with smaller tables on one side, and a more communal area with a large 10-seater table on the other.
      “The design is meant to encourage you to let loose, which is why the organic shapes in the sofas, tables, and chairs, create an interesting flow to the space,” explained Aparicio.

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      On either end of the intimate zone is a long, 20-seater community table. The studio designed these with an aim to pay homage to the spirit of Lisbon’s traditional fish markets, serving as “a symbolic nod to the shared dining experiences fostered in such lively and communal settings”.
      The wait-staff station and the wood, wicker and brass bar separate the kitchen from the dining area.
      The “snake sofa” divides the spaceTwo long, striped benches, positioned with their backs facing each other, lead out to the terrace, “segmenting the expansive layout of the restaurant into more intimate sections”.
      The terrace, overlooking the port and the city of Lisbon, aims to “evoke the essence of an authentic beach club”.
      Stripes were prominently used on the walls, upholstery, and furnishings, reminiscent of Portuguese fishermen’s cottages and coastal awnings.
      Natural materials such as wood and wicker were prominently usedOther restaurant interiors recently featured on Dezeen include a Mexico City restaurant arranged around an upside-down pyramid bar and a converted Norwegian restaurant covered in restored paintings.
      The photography is by Filipe Neto.

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      White leather curtains enclose Lisbon wellness centre by AB+AC Architects

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      Portuguese practice AB+AC Architects has designed a multifunctional wellness centre in Lisbon that doubles up as an artists’ residence.

      The Open Hearts wellness centre is arranged around one large room, which AB+AC Architects refers to as the shala. This Sanskrit term refers to the idea of home but also, in the context of yoga, a place where people can learn and practise together.
      The Open Hearts centre is orientated around a curtained room known as the shalaAs well as yoga classes, this adaptable space will host everything from breathwork classes and sound baths to meditation sessions, film screenings, dining experiences and creative writing workshops.
      Running around the periphery of the shala are floor-to-ceiling curtains crafted from white vegan leather, which can be drawn to keep the room out of view from the bustling street outdoors.
      At the front of the room, a wall of gold-tinted mirrors conceals a series of storage compartments. When an event is being held, the room can also be temporarily dressed with floor cushions and long birchwood tables.

      Behind the shala is the artists’ residence”Normally, when a design is very flexible, there is a risk of ending up with a very generic or sterile space, as if the only way to address adaptability is through non-specific design,” explained AB+AC Architects.
      “We knew that creating a neutral mood that could accommodate a variety of programs would not be stimulating, so we decided that the centre had to be able to evoke different emotions based on the function occurring at that given moment.”
      This includes a dining room and bespoke kitchenA grand limestone archway to the side of the shala grants access to the artists’ residence, which is entered via a narrow lounge area.
      The room is topped with a light-up ceiling that measures eight metres long and, when the artist is hosting an exhibition, washes their work in a complementary glow.

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      Next up is a small dining area and a custom-made kitchen suite featuring wooden cabinetry and a terrazzo-style countertop.
      Surfaces in the adjacent bedroom are painted a crisp shade of white while the corner dedicated to the bathroom – complete with a freestanding tub – is clad in distinctive terracotta tiles.
      The same gold-tinged mirrors from the shala are used here to help disguise the toilet.
      A terracotta-tiled bathroom contrasts with the white walls of the bedroomShould the resident artist want some fresh air, they can head outside to the small private patio.
      Here, a concrete planter that winds around the edge of the space is overspilling with leafy tropical plants, while volcanic stone pebbles are scattered over the floor.
      Foliage lines the private outdoor patio of the artists’ residenceOpen Hearts Lisbon has been shortlisted in the civic and cultural interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.
      Other projects in the running include a cow shed-turned-library, a historic cinema in Berlin and the world’s first multi-storey skatepark.
      The photography is by Ricardo Oliveira Alves.

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      Five key exhibitions at Lisbon Architecture Triennale 2022

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      Lisbon Architecture Triennale has returned for its sixth edition, with exhibitions, installations and contributions by the likes of Dutch studio MVRDV and Japanese studio Tomoaki Uno Architects.

      Titled Terra, the Latin word for earth, this year’s Lisbon Architecture Triennale is a call to action centring on sustainability and forging a balance between communities, resources and processes.
      The 14-week-long event was curated by Portuguese architects and educators Cristina Veríssimo and Diogo Burnay. It takes place until 5 December 2022 and includes a number of exhibitions, book launches, conferences and fringe events across the city of Lisbon.
      Each of the exhibitions and events highlights climate change, human reliance on resources as well as social, economic and environmental injustices and how these issues are connected.
      Read on for five key exhibitions at the 2022 edition of Lisbon Architecture Triennale:

      Multiplicity
      Curated by Cityscapes Magazine co-founder Tau Tavengwa and anthropologist and writer Vyjayanthi Rao, Multiplicity is an exhibition that looks at ways architecture and design can respond better to global challenges such as inequality, climate change and conflict.
      The exhibition is organised across several of the National Museum of Contemporary Art’s minimally decorated rooms, with books, posters and other exhibits arranged on folio cabinets and plywood tables to encourage visitors to engage with them.
      It also includes case studies of architecture projects, such as Wiki House by Architecture 00, BookWorm pavilion by Nudes and Plugin House by People’s Architecture Office, which highlight architectural and design-led initiatives and solutions to social and global issues.

      Retroactive
      Retroactive is an exhibition at Lisbon’s Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT), curated by design studio Taller Capital founders Loreta Castro Reguera and José Pablo Ambrosi.
      It identifies ways to help communities living in “vulnerable places due to overcrowding, lack of resources and basic service infrastructure” through the use of architectural initiatives.
      “Retroactive explores the suturing tools of communities in urgent need of architectural solutions that may reconcile their sense of belonging and spatial dignity,” explained Lisbon Architecture Triennale organisers.

      Cycles
      At the Garagem Sul museum, Cycles highlights the circular economy of materials, presenting ways in which designers, architects and creatives can reuse waste. The exhibition was designed by local office Rar.Studio and curated by architect Pedro Ignacia Alonso with art curator Pamela Prado.
      “Cycles addresses the role of architecture within the endless processes of transformation and redistribution of matter, and showcases the possible encounter between architecture and sustainability, economy, heritage and memory,” said organisers of Lisbon Architecture Triennale.
      A focal point of the exhibition is Falca, a mound of cork piled in the rear corner of the gallery by artist Lara Almarcegui.

      Visionaries 
      Visionaries is described by its curator Anastassia Smirnova as an “invitation for action”. It is arranged within the Culturgest centre across a collection of rooms, which each shed light on radical ideas spanning different categories or themes.
      Among the visionary projects is Dutch architecture studio MVRDV’s proposal to raise Eindhoven’s cathedral by 55 metres to insert social and public functions below it, alongside an exploration into French architect Roger Anger’s utopian city Auroville in India. Other contributors include Japanese studio Tomoaki Uno Architects, Spanish architect Andrés Jaque and Spanish office Ensamble Studio.
      “Their projects, more than mere physical and spatial structures, are ambitious and controversial prescriptions for planetary strategies,” said Lisbon Architecture Triennale.
      “In many different forms, from the bedroom scale to city models, these radical prototypes are open to being productively interpreted, not just replicated, by future generations.”

      Independent Projects
      Alongside the main exhibitions, a total of 16 projects have been developed in response to the triennale’s theme of Terra. Twelve of these are exhibited at the event’s headquarters at Palacio Sinel de Cordes, while the other four are dotted across the city of Lisbon.
      Among them is After Plastics, a project by KALA.studio that imagines a landscape where microplastics play a vital role in a new plant growth. Meanwhile, designers Zhicheng Xu, Mengqi Moon He, Stratton Coffman, Calvin Zhong and Wuyahuang Li, are presenting Lodgers, a proposal for temporary housing for different life forms in Nevada, built from local materials.
      Lisbon Architecture Triennale takes place from 1 October to 5 December 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
      The photography is by Sara Constança.

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      Aurora Arquitectos transforms ruined Lisbon building into fun family home

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      A fireman’s pole lets children slide down between floors in this house that Aurora Arquitectos has created in Lisbon, Portugal.The building that the house occupies is nestled along Bartolomeu Dias street, west of central Lisbon.

      Although the structure had fallen into a state of almost complete ruin, it was purchased by a couple who wanted to establish a home where they could live for the foreseeable future and raise their three young children.

      Aurora Arquitectos was tasked with carrying out the residential conversion.

      “This is an upstream project in a time when the city has been gradually emptied from its inhabitants under the pressure of tourism and real estate speculation,” said the practice.
      “This is a project of resistance since it grows from the desire of a family wanting to remain in its own neighbourhood.”

      The original building was two storeys and measured just 60 square metres.
      As Aurora Arquitectos had to reconstruct nearly the entire building, it decided to extend the structure to create three more storeys and an extra 169 square metres of space.
      The new portion of the building has been painted bright white.

      “The family lived for some years in the Netherlands in a typical townhouse, known as a typology that has a vertical distribution of the program, so we can also say that influenced the design process,” the practice explained to Dezeen.

      Aurora Arquitectos opens up 1970s apartment in Lisbon with angular skylights and folding walls

      Inside, the traditional arrangement of rooms has been reversed. The sleeping quarters are on the bottom two floors, while the communal living spaces have been spread across the upper three floors to benefit from views of the nearby Tejo river.

      This excludes the playroom that has been situated at the rear of the ground floor, complete with curving in-built shelves where the kids can display their toys.
      The room can be reached via a fireman’s pole that extends from the kid’s bedroom directly above.

      “The family has three children and they like to spend all their time together, so the option was to concentrate their sleeping area,” added practice.
      “But once they grow up and need separate bedrooms one can transform the playroom into a bedroom, and the pole area into a bathroom.”

      As the playroom faces onto a narrow lane often frequented by pedestrians, the rear elevation of the home has been fitted with oversized privacy shutters that can be slid across the windows.
      On the home’s front elevation, the practice has simply restored the existing patterned tiles and freshened up the “Lisbon-green” paint that features on the doors.

      Rooms across all levels of the home have timber flooring and white walls, cabinetry and light fixtures. Perforated white metal forms the treads of some of the staircases.
      A splash of colour is provided by a recessed window in the kitchen that the practice refers to as “the green eye” as it is lined with jade-coloured Verde Viana marble.

      On the fifth floor is an outdoor terrace inset in the house’s pitched roof.
      The terrace is backed by a glass wall that looks down to the home’s living room on the fourth floor. Here there is a large window seat where the inhabitants can sit and relax with a book.

      Aurora Arquitectos was established in 2010 by Sofia Couto and Sérgio Antunes.
      The practice has completed a number of other projects around the Portuguese city of Lisbon – others include a brightly-hued hostel that occupies an old family home, and a renovated 1970s apartment that features angular skylights and folding walls.
      Photography is by Do Mal O Menos.
      Project credits:
      Architecture: Aurora ArquitectosArchitecture team: Sérgio Antunes, Sofia Reis Couto, Carolina Rocha, Bruno Pereira, Tânia Sousa, Rui Baltazar, Dora JerbicBuilding supervision: GesconsultEngineering: Zilva, Global, LDAConstruction: Mestre Avelino

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