Taipas Apartment Building by Aurora Arquitectos

Project: Taipas Apartment Building
Architecture: Aurora Arquitectos
Team: Sérgio Antunes, Sofia Reis Couto, Rita Ferreira, Pedro França, Bruno Pereira, Luís Silva, Tânia Sousa, Carolina Rocha, Ivo Lapa, Rui Baltazar, Dora Jerbic, Anna Cavenago, Afonso Nunes, Kasia Cichecka
Engineering: JSJ, Ductos e Engiprior
Contractor: ABB
Furniture: A Linha da Vizinha
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Program: Refurbishment and extension of a building with 20 apartments
Area: 1500 m2
Photo Credits: do mal o menos
Text by Aurora Arquitectos

The Taipas Apartment Building is located in one of the hills that surrounds Avenida da Liberdade, very close to Miradouro São Pedro de Alcântara.

The original design, by the architect Lima Franco, follows the modernist movement and was one of the first constructions in Lisbon to have a reinforced concrete structure. In opposition to the main façade, that was labeled as a city heritage, its 20 apartments had very poor design and the rear façade enclosed the building to the wide view over the city.

The refurbishment of the building was total and pursued this hard balance between contemporaneity and the historical context of the façade. How could have been the interior if it had the same effort as the main façade? How could the rear façade be drawn if it didn’t forget its geographical position?