Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus refurbished and extended the ground floor of an 18th-century hillside townhouse located between Lisbon’s medieval castle and the Romanesque-style city cathedral. “The estate illustrated a period and an identity that were clouded due to extended neglect,” explained Manuel Aires Mateus – one of the two founders of Aires Mateus Arquitectos. The plan for the house elected spatial values, designed geometric affinities, precision in relation to exterior windows. The garden made it possible to enhance the depth of the view over the Baixa rooftops and the river. An existing addition was rebuilt to house more private functions. The secular spaces were opened up to incorporate more significant uses. The unexpected discovery of a cistern crosses the depth horizontally and connects with the sky, the most protected space of the house.
all images © Ricardo Oliveira Alves