LX Factory

The original buildings of this industrial complex were the first that the Lisbonense Spinning and Fabrics Company built from scratch. Their project introduced the English model of incombustible factories in Lisbon, with stone façades and internal iron structures. At the beginning of this century, simultaneously with the development of the Alcântara XXI project, the promoter began to make profit on a temporary occupation of this space. This circumstance and the high degradation of the complex determined an essentially structuring approach to the logic of future uses and occupations. As a model of work and leisure area influenced by similar cases outside the country, this is, above all, an exercise of expectations, impressions and meanings, as the project presumes the imperceptible character of the intervention in a completely transformed space. Several aspects contributed to this invisibility/visibility of the architecture: the progressive development of the project; the punctuated selection of demolitions, finishing and colours; the reuse of architectural elements that were already on site; and the opportunity given to individual appropriation. Visits comprise different spaces of this urban complex, later designed by other authors.