150 years old house reconverted into an architecture studio | CAS studio

The building is located in a historic area of Lisbon, known in other centuries for being a fishing district. The building is more than 150 years old and in the last 50 years suffered several interventions in the ground floor that debilitated its structure.

The concept was to renovate a 35 square meters space, integrating our work both as architects and artisans in the process of design as a “sustainable model” for other rehabilitations our studio can develop in the city. The main intervention eliminated interior walls that divided the space, placing a metal structure and footings allowing the creation of an open space while reinforcing and correcting the damaged building in the ground floor.

The idea was to achieve both a positive environmental and social impact and in this sense the process integrated disappearing crafts such as traditional carpentry and there were used mainly biobased materials: wood and earth, straw and lime. The result is a pattern of textures from different materials that work physically in a complementary way because they are flexible, porous and breathable.

The interior environment reflects these characteristics. Our studio participation in the project was integral and the space was a permanent workshop allowing an experimental research: from the design, to the placement and welding of the metal structure, walls and plastering, design and making the furniture, ceiling, lamps and interior screen doors. During the process they were trained two workers on these eco-technologies to integrate them in specific moments of the process.

This open space allows flexible functions and activities mainly due to a well-integrated structural reinforcement in the global design. In spite of its dimensions this work represents an alternative way of rehabilitation through ecologic and sustainable processes, research and technologies, working itself as a real scale prototype.