HOUSING IN THE VALLEYS OF CHELAS - RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
Faculdade de arquitetura ULisboa, 4th year 1st semester, Autumn 24
Location: Chelas, Lisboa
The project envisions an urban block composed of four distinct buildings interconnected by a gallery, with stair towers positioned at either end of a central courtyard. The residential program offers apartments of 70, 100, and 130 square meters, with entrances distributed across four strategically placed access points. The ground floor, oriented towards a communal square, incorporates a café and a bicycle shop to foster neighborhood activity and engagement.
The buildings are elevated half a level above ground to enhance privacy for ground-floor residents, creating a subtle buffer between the private and public realms. A key design focus has been the reinterpretation of the gallery access system. This gallery is conceived as a wide, open, and multifunctional space, transcending its conventional role as a circulation element to become a defining feature of the architecture. Strategic recesses along the gallery provide spatial separation from the apartments while allowing natural light and ventilation to flow generously throughout the structure.
The gallery’s generous width transforms it into a semi-public social space, designed to facilitate informal interactions and nurture a sense of community. While the apartments are equipped with private balconies on their external facades, the gallery functions as an inward-facing shared balcony, offering residents a communal, transitional space that blurs the boundaries between private and public.
Structurally, the design employs concrete slabs, load-bearing wall panels, and steel columns, ensuring durability and adaptability. The facades are clad in green ceramic tiles, while vibrant blue columns introduce a playful, dynamic contrast. This color palette nods to the rich architectural heritage of Chelas while reinterpreting it in a contemporary language, aiming to complement and elevate the neighborhood’s evolving urban identity.
siteplan_1:500
plan 2nd - 4th floor_1:200
plan, 1st floor_1:200
section AA_1:200
elevation_1:200
section BB_1:200
elevation_1:200
section CC_1:50
