CASA NO PRÍNCIPE REAL BY CAMARIM ARQUITECTOS

A modern reinterpretation of a traditional Portuguese architecture

Limited space is a ubiquitous challenge in urban settings. On the bright side, cramped conditions often lead to unexpected ingenuity. For the Casa no Príncipe Real in Lisbon, Portuguese architecture firm Camarim Arquitectos turned a tiny plot of only 41 square meters into a roomy, five-storey, single family home.

That architects circumvented the spatial confinements by assigning each floor a separate function and organizing the different spaces around a vertical atrium. Thanks to the openness of the atrium, natural light fills the space and air circulates easily, turning the atrium into a thermal chimney that encourages passive cooling in the warmer months. Angular stairways cut through the atrium and provide a continuous path from bottom to top.

The exterior of the home reinterprets the celebrated azulejo. A melange of flat tiles, bas-relief tiles and a perforated steel screen on the top floor recall the traditional blue ceramic decorations that define Lisbon.

The home is the first of its kind in Lisbon to made with a light steel construction system (LSF). The system was chosen for its superior thermal and acoustic properties and its adaptability to the small construction space.