Júlio Pomar Studio-Museum

Located in a narrow street perpendicular to Rua dos Poiais de São Bento, this building with an anonymous facade, which was once a warehouse, is now a museum that archives and disseminates the work of Portuguese painting artist Júlio Pomar, managed by Lisbon’s municipal company EGEAC. The building comprises two floors with a broad central exhibition area, two reserves, service areas, an office, an auditorium and a reception, concealing an exterior patio through which the visitors enter. The renovation, by Álvaro Siza, follows the reading of the pre-existing building in its main components: volume, structural walls, and roof. Many trademarks of the renowned architect’s work can be found in the formal and spatial details, namely the shape of the stairs and the guardrail.