Santa Clara 114

Description by the architects - Atelier 126

THE INTERVENTION ON THE SITE WAS INSPIRED by the Spirit of the Place. It is an early 20th century building which in 1906 is presented as a ground floor warehouse. In 1908 it acquires an expansive upper floor with attic and in 1910 it is embellished with a prominent central dormer. Located on the riverside of Lisbon's historic centre, it embodies the urban setting of the Portuguese street market in its most popular expression, the Feira da Ladra.

THE PROJECT OBJECTIVE for the popular palace was to implement a block of four two-bedroom flats, without any intervention in the ground floor store that serves the flea market.

On the main lower floor, the structural elements were preserved, with exception to the staircase, which by virtue of the project, underwent the biggest alteration. On the upper floor it was necessary to reconstruct the gable roof and to extend it by two oval dormers to the south and five dormers to the north.

The 4 dwellings constitute a new interior body, composed of two distinct architectural languages: the two two-bedroom flats on the bottom floor, communicating with the gardened patio, have preserved the beauty of the Portuguese tradition through their extensive ceiling height and the restoration of the ceilings, with decorative mural painting or with wood-effect profiles and stucco adornments, with geometric and plant-inspired decorations; The two two-bedroom flats in the attic, conditioned by the new geometry of the roof, now feature a more contemporary approach, especially in the way it captures natural light and the layout between its full and empty spaces. The pattern of the skylights, alternating between private and communal areas, recalls Lisbon's generous luminosity. The oval-shaped dormers with a private terrace overlooking the historic Portuguese waterfront give each of the 2 flats their proper name.