MULTIFAMILY HOUSING
YEAR 2018
AREA 287m2
LOCATION Rua Direita, Coimbra, Portugal
Located in the historic downtown area of Coimbra, five plots of irregular shapes and dimensions were combined to create, on the ground floor, a commercial space and, on the upper floors, multifamily housing. Three of the plots retained only their ruined façades (which were preserved), while the remaining ones were vacant and in poor condition.
This is a very peculiar project, as each plot presents a different layout, which required some “gymnastics” to fit the various apartments with differing ceiling heights defined by the existing façades.
These are apartments with a singular character in their interior organization, and the façade plays a decisive role in showcasing and transitioning between architectural languages from different periods.
The vertical circulation cores were the main framework for the project’s initial development, as well as for the interior organization.
It was decided to create a single shared staircase serving all plots, in order to minimize circulation areas.