Apartment in Marquês do Pombal
Conversion of a disused office into an apartment in Marquês do Pombal, Lisbon
Key Materials / Pine wood, hand-crafted clay tiles and microcement
Architecture / Angela Marquito Architecture
Structural Engineer / Álvaro Rodrigues
Contractor / HES Lamelas
Client / António Branco
Photography / Nuno Pereira
The apartment is located in a 1990’s building, in a parallel street to Avenida da Liberdade in Lisbon, with direct views of the Marquês do Pombal statue. The brief was to convert a disused office unit into an apartment.
The apartment has an East / West orientation, with the private areas placed East and the social areas to the West. We enter the apartment at the centre of the space. The project articulates the following concepts:
-Simple geometry: point, line and plane define the spaces with elements such as the circular door handles, black dot towel hangers, strip lights (set horizontally, vertically or diagonally) and large wooden surfaces.
-Natural materials: solid wood is used on the floors and surfaces (kitchen counter top, living room shelf / sitting surface, and bathroom shelves), handcrafted traditional Portuguese tiles (bathroom and shower room walls), and handcrafted microcement (bathroom and shower room floors).
-Large storage areas, which define and divide the different spaces.
The concept for the space also introduces an idea of juxtaposition between the old and the new by revealing the original dimensions of the space, exposing the concrete beams and heating / cooling service tubes, and re-occupying the space with new architectural elements.