The experience of the Open House rebellion in Lisbon and Almada

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Open House Lisboa celebrated 10 years of the event in Portugal, in the company of around 80 specialists for visits, involving 70 proprietors who agreed to hand over the key, and a team of 238 volunteers to welcome and guide visitors. The Rebellion of the Invisible was the guiding line for an eclectic selection of spaces distributed between Lisbon and Almada, choosing to leave the city's architectural icons out, and focus on apparently ordinary projects that hide a much more surprising interior.

“In some cases, the exterior-interior relationship has gradually made these places become rare birds. They are very anonymous on the outside, but very exotic on the inside, very special. The sociological changes that take place in the city are not reflected in the facades of the buildings” underlines Sérgio Antunes, curator of this edition together with Sofia Couto (Aurora Arquitectos). Open House Lisboa is an event designed to reach all people inside and outside the circle of architecture, promoting an approach to «architecture and the design of the spaces of excellence that sustain a vibrant city», and encouraging greater civic participation.

By setting a stage for dialogue between designers and visitors, the Open House turns out to be “an incredible moment because people say things about what we do as architects. Good things, bad things and unexpected things. And that is a way of giving us back what we do. It's a direct mirror and that's always amazing. And it always ends up being a special moment”, says Sérgio Antunes. In an interview with the curators, Sara Nunes from Building Pictures adds that OHL “is an event that allows us to get to know the cities better and reflect on them.”

Visitor Nataniel Gonçalves Rosa tells us this wonderful project allows the public to have contact with the best of the architecture and history of our city. “I am a very frequent visitor, I have been to all your initiatives and I have seen a large number of buildings. I am not in the field of architecture or history, so I want to convey the vision of a layman and simple enthusiast of these themes. (...) Your initiative is meritorious and wonderful! Congratulations to everyone for the work done! I'll be back next year and, who knows, you might want me as a volunteer.”

The sound walk by photographer Daniel Blaufuks, which reveals a very personal travel album from Cais do Sodré to Rossio, remains available, so you can still have a little taste of the event in retrospective.

Amidst sunrays and raindrops, the invisible behind the facades rebelled and brightened. Lisbon and Almada, registering a vibrant turnout. Our big thanks to visitors, volunteers, specialists, space owners, supporters, and curators - the event is the sum of all these parts!

Want to suggest a project for OHL2023?

And if cities don't stop, neither do we: we are already thinking ahead for the next Open House, so that everything is ready when we open the doors in May 2023. Would you like to share your thoughts? Join the family and give us your suggestions!

We invite you to review some moments of this event through the eyes of our photography team or through this video.

“If we removed the facades, what city would be visible? Where does the identity of a city begin and end?” was the motto proposed by Studio Aurora