Águas Livres Residential Block

The Fidelidade insurance company decided to build a residential building for 130 middle-classed people in a not-so-developed or lived-in area between Jardim das Amoreiras and Rua Dom João V. Renewal of the local population resulted in this example of modern architecture in a neighbourhood that, up to then, had been kept very much in a conservative style so typical of the Estado Novo or New State dictatorial regime. The influence of the Unité d’Habitation de Marseille by Le Corbusier, built for 1,300 residents, was very obvious. The design, which used the urban plan that Manuel Tainha had developed as an intern at Lisbon City Council as its starting point, included three low apartment blocks. Renovation of the facade, entrances, gallery and shared spaces has been ongoing since 2019, indeed winning an honourable mention at the Gulbenkian Heritage Awards, proof of the importance of exemplary conservation of this classified modern heritage building.