University Residences of the Ajuda Campus – ULisboa

The Ajuda University Campus is located on Monsanto’s southern edge, an area where the cohesion between the city’s urban grid, the Park and the Rio Seco valley is still an open issue. The building’s institutional character and the road plan limit the daily routines and the use of the public spaces. The residential building responds to this context by conveying a sense of permanence. The building has two construction phases: the first is an «L» facing south and east, that ends the canteen with a pedestrian connection between the two levels; the second phase is a compact edifice that houses the administrative offices and will provide broad openings, flowing hallways and a well-lit interior courtyard. The exposed brick motivates a second reading of the complex, the openings and voids structure a lighter facade, and the stereotomy and diverse textures induce shadows as subtle elements that reshape the simplicity of the volumes.