National Coach Museum

The new National Coach Museum is implanted on the block to the east of the Afonso de Albuquerque Garden, where, according to a 1856-58 plan by Filipe Folque, once stood the Royal Stables. The museum has two main, elevated volumes: the smaller one, more transparent and with an exposed concrete structure, opens to Rua da Junqueira; to the south, the main body is more opaque and runs east to west. With its floating structure, this section of the building allows the creation of a square at the level of the Avenida da Índia that develops into the museum’s ground floor, revealing the old limit of the Alfândega Velha wharf. The north body is crossed by a pedestrian and cycling bridge made of metal profiles and slender pillars with concrete guardrails. This element defines a new axis that connects Rua da Junqueira to the Belém train station and to the river.