Quinta da Baldaya
with André Marques and João Alves

Public Competition 7th place
Residential | 26.400m²
Commerce and Services | 6.500m²
Benfica, Lisbon

On a city plot with highly irregular boundaries due to differing urban growth patterns, the first priority was to establish clarity in the strategy for land occupation. Thus, the proposal initially focused on resolving and stitching together the surrounding circumstances. To achieve this previously interrupted road axes were extended, and others were created, resulting in a more cohesive territory.

The buildings, with a straightforward concept of land occupation, are positioned around a large central public and landscaped space.

With a focus on constructive rationality and financial feasibility, there are only two building types, which are repeated, and a third one that addresses a corner. This, combined with their arrangement, prevents the massification of the built volumes while maintaining objectivity in the intervention.

On the ground floor, commercial spaces are designed with volumes that either project or recede, creating varied spaces and relationships with the public street and the garden.

The integration of the Baldaya Palace garden was another key concern of the project, that aimed to align it with the public space and the gardens of the individual courtyards.

The overall result is an urban response that generates different scales, with moments of transition and permanence that converge in a large central space, fostering a sense of community life. The building types, ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom apartments, with a total of 266 dwellings, are characterised by a generous relationship with the central garden.