Building in Escadinhas

This building is located at the Escadinhas do Marquês de Ponte de Lima, in the heart of the historic centre of the Mouraria. It opens to the exterior in contrasting ways: the front leads to a steep street, but the back allows ample access to the Mouraria valley and the slopes of the Graça. The entrance is connected by a side staircase to three apartments, one per floor, according to the former typology. The need to optimize the space, favouring social areas and reducing the circulation, gave rise to the main architectural solutions. The rooms with a kitchenette traverse the building from one facade to the other. From this open space, there are direct connections to the bedrooms and bathrooms, mediated by secret doors that run inside wood slatted panels. On the top floor, the attic became part of a duplex apartment. It has a central staircase to the upper two rooms and at the roof a triple dormer lightens the space, while allocating an independent entrance to the terrace.