Hasta La Ideas

A suspended ceiling folds erratically around the uppermost apartment of a Lisbon block that Portuguese architect Jorge Mealha has refurbished.

The walls of the apartment also comprise a series of angled planes, which converge awkwardly with the faceted ceilings to surround lower level living rooms and a mezzanine deck above.

These folding walls are repeated in the building’s access corridors as well as inside some of the seven other apartments in the building.

Decorative white shutters hinge across windows throughout the block, while existing pine floors have been retained and restored.

We’ve published a few other white-rendered buildings by Jorge Mealha on Dezeen, which you can see here.

Photography is by João Morgado.

More explanation from the architects can be found below:

This project concerns the rehabilitation of an old building, presumably built at the end of the XIX century, but that was only registered in 1906.

A cost-controlled operation, proposed by the owner, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, intended to rehab this building that was at risk of collapse.

The project seeks to preserve as much as possible of the original elements of the building – floors and walls – proposing a reformulation of the existing subdivision, which was characterized by having too cramped spaces, resulting in the creation of eight apartments, two of which are duplexe.

Taking advantage of the need for the introduction of a lift, the entrance lobby is redesigned, suggesting a path that bypasses the volume – released from outer walls – required for the placing of this equipment.

The new design of the atrium that extends its original dimension, emphasises the perspective on the existent ladder, which is maintained, allowing for a better natural lighting and offering a few scale games and cross perspectives.

Whenever possible, the strategy was to preserve the existing floor – pine wood – assuming the amendments in the areas where due to its degradation it has been replaced.

The walls and ceilings are plastered and painted white.

Some elements are finished with stone or birth.

The shutters of the windows were restored and painted white, while maintaining the original.

Access doors to the apartments are also maintained, leaving marks of previous interventions and wood working as notes of color and texture on the stairs.

The external walls and elements are painted in white in their entirety in order to allow the design of its parts to he read by the incident light throughout the day.

Author: Jorge Mealha
Project Team: João Sítima (Site Works Leader), Rita Melancia (Project Leader), Teófilo Raposo, Gonçalo Silva, Pedro Hormigo, Ricardo Manaia

Local: Calçada do Lavra, 11 – 11A, Lisbon

Project: 2006 – 2008
Building: 2010 – 2011

Slideshow: Lisbon architects ARX Portugal and Stefano Riva have completed a top-heavy house in the village of Aldeia de Juso with a concrete upper storey settled over the glazed walls below. 

Named House in Juso, the building has two storeys above ground and one below.

A rectangular concrete shell wraps around the non-rectilinear upper floor of the building to create an enclosed opening beside one of the bedrooms and two private decks.

Formed within a timber cast, this thick band of concrete has a textured surface that reveals the grains of the wooden boards that once surrounded it.

Glass walls surround the ground floor living and dining rooms, which open out onto a garden and swimming pool.

You can see a couple more projects by ARX here, both of which also feature openings in the roof.

Photography is by Fernando Guerra.

Here’s a lengthier description from the architects:

House in Juso

In the concept for this small house in the vicinity of Aldeia de Juso, the tiniest area of flat land and the house’ s, as well as the high density of the new houses yet to be built in the surroundings, forcibly draw us to some sort of “obsession” about the possibilities of dilating space.

Underlying this question, the importance of “expanding” the outdoor space becomes a particular central aspect, since it is also a building integrated in a semi-rural area, where people go looking for the experience of inhabiting garden or open yard spaces.

We propose, after all, to solve and clarify the question, by widening to the maximum the inhabitable premises in their global scope, both in the vertical and horizontal referentials, in both interior and exterior.

The building has been thus structured in three floors, spatially related in profile, each level having specific and different characteristics.

In Level -1, the areas are laid out (as the regulations so demand) under the contour of the ground level.

However, this idea of “imposed limits” is to be questioned through the means of “distensions” and “advancements”, to be operated in the three possible directions (north, east and west), shaped as yards and pool.

In this floor there will also be included work and service areas.

On the ground level, the limits for the “precincts”, appears widened and defined by the walls around the lot.

The inner space is freely configured. Consistent with the strategy of maximizing the presence of the gardened outdoor space, the garage is then left aside to an “inserted” area to the south of the kitchen.

All the social spaces of the building are located on this floor.

On the upper floor resides what is the most significant expression of this project.

Until the maximum limits allowed by the regulations, was shaped a kind of enclosure of opaque lines encompassing the bedrooms and their respective yards, thus expanding the enjoyable areas and protecting their necessary intimacy.

On the roof level, an accessible terrace finally liberates the eye over a 360º view of the surrounding houses, the sea or the beautiful mountains of Sintra.

Location: Juso, Portugal

Project-construction: 2008-2011

Architecture: ARX Portugal + Stefano Riva: Nuno Mateus e José Mateus c/ Stefano Riva

Landscape Architecture: Sara Machado

Engineerings: Marco Caixa, António Paiva, Fernandes, Miguel Marques

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Contractor: Gardenblok Construções Lda.

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Area: 170 m2

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Portuguese studio SAMI arquitectos have completed a blackened timber house on the hillside of a Portuguese island.

Named C/Z House, the stained wooden residence on Pico Island is composed of four rectangular volumes, connected at the centre by a glazed living room.

The prefabricated building steps up to follow the inclines of the landscape and has raised terraces on each of its four sides.

Two of the rectangular wings accommodate bedrooms and bathrooms, while the third is a garage and the fourth contains a kitchen and dining room.

Other recent projects we’ve featured with blackened wood walls include a playground pavilion with mirrored ends and a Thai bistro – see them both here.

Photography is by Fernando Guerra.

The following text is from SAMI arquitectos:

C/Z House

This house aims to overlook the various views which can be seen from the highest point of the land.

Starting from a set of separate volumes and following the adaptation of the traditional architecture to the terrain, the resulting area between the four volumes was designed as a living space, the walls of which are a continuation of the exterior façades and where only glass separates the exterior from the interior space of the home.

Depending on the prevailing wind or the desired view, the house can open out on various landscapes and its connection and permeability with the exterior is total.

The solid volume in darkened wood is transformed into four volumes when the large glass panes are opened, allowing the extension of the various platforms of the house.

A system of pre-fabrication was used for this building which was conceived in order to achieve an A+ rating in terms of energy efficiency.

Location: São Roque do Pico, Pico Island, Azores, Portugal

Architects: Inês Vieira da Silva. Miguel Vieira [SAMI-arquitectos]

Team: João do Vale Martins, Inês Martins, Daniel Mentech

Project: 2007-2008

Completion: 2008 – 2011

Structural Engineering: Engiaço-Construções Técnicas Lda

Electrical Engineering: Engiaço-Construções Técnicas Lda

Renewable energy use, Acoustical Engineering, Natural Ventilation design: Guilherme Carrilho da Graça – NaturalWorks – Engineering Consultants

Landscape Design: Victor Beiramar Diniz

Construction Company: Engiaço-Construções Técnicas Lda

Furniture: SAMI with Loja Nord

A long stairway and ramp extend from a private house in Barcelos, Portugal.

The building slots into the landscape with two main floor levels that line up with the sloping ground outside.

The plot for the building is located on a green, protected space with access to a main road.

Design for this private house by architect Rui Grazina was governed by topography and framing key views from the site.

Here’s some more text from Rui Grazina:

Project by Rui Grazina for a private house in Cambeses, Barcelos, Portugal.

Construction started in November 2008, and was finished in 2011.

The plot has an area of 3300 sqm, part of which located in a green protection area. The house has 300 sqm of total area, and a gross building area of 290 sqm.

The house footprint is designed based on the articulation between the existing alignments and the new proposed access road, which enables both car and foot access.

Given the context, our objective was to turn the living spaces to east, considering this is where the most interesting visual points are, and to make rooms face south due to the quality of sun exposure, privacy and relationship with the existing topography.

On this side of the building the existing ground level is higher, enabling a connection and continuity between interior and exterior.

On the overall, we can say that the social areas are at ground level, and the private areas on the upper level.

About Rui Grazina

He was born in Maputo, Mozambique. Rui Grazina designs his architecture, products and furniture from his studio in Porto.

Since 2002 he has produced a range of furniture and products exhibited at, namely, 100% Design, in London, FAD, in Barcelona, and Remade in Portugal, in Lisbon.

Jewellery box RG02 won the design competition for the Berardo Modern Art Museum Design Shop, in Lisbon.

In 2010 Rui presented his work at Rio de Janeiro Design Week, and launched his new product RG05 in December. He  exhibited at Talents Ambiente, Frankfurt, in February 2011.

His pieces have been sold worldwide.

Prior to 2002 Rui worked as an architect on a wide range of projects in London and Porto.  He completed his education at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Porto.

Axonometric view

This school in Porto by Portuguese studio AVA Architects has lime green walls inside and out, and is filled with green furniture.

Named the Antas Education Centre, the five school buildings are arranged around a series of courtyards and playgrounds.

Black-framed windows of different shapes and sizes are scattered across the facades of each two-storey block.

A canteen is located on the ground floor, while classrooms can be found on both levels.

A lot of the schools we publish have brightly coloured facades – check out one clad in a yellow, green and white patchwork, and another with a bright red courtyard ceiling.

Photography is by José Campos, apart from where otherwise stated.

Here’s some more text from AVA Architects:

School Center Antas, Porto, Portugal

Location and Context

The site of action is part of an urban context through the recently redesigned Detailed Plan of Antas. The nearby is not defined by buildings, with only the north to the existence of a huge slope and south of the proposed construction site.

The land is entirely surrounded by streets. The area of the school is approximately 2 967.00 m2.

Idea

The spatial and architectural design of the building of the new Education Center Antas were formalized in several bodies each containing part of the program in accordance with principles of internal organization, functionality, form and image, given the type of building and its specificity.

This conception took into account the morphology of the terrain, solar orientation, access and links to surrounding bodies.

It always took account to the relationship established between spaces, between exterior and interior and between interior spaces.

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The intension is to formalize and realize the program provided through a drawing of building capable of being fragmented into several bodies interconnected with exterior spaces creating diverse environments.

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It’s a building consisting of several bodies expressed by a “simple architecture” that will build a close relationship with the exterior spaces.

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It was intended to create in the spaces between the various bodies the visual relationship between interior and exterior reducing relations with the urban surroundings.

There was an intention to turn into how the building relates to the exterior. However there are some links to the outside also.

The settlement found answers to a matrix that structuralize a functional organization of the school as a function of the planned program and constraint imposed by various land levels.