Santos-O-Novo Monastery Surroundings 2012

08/05/2013 by João Sousa in Architecture

The Santos-o-Novo Monastery was built in the 17th century in a peripheral area of Lisbon. The architectural proposal intends to an urban redevelopment of the entire surroundings of the monastery and a degraded palace of the same century, regulating accessibility in a very uneven topography and establishing the relationship of these buildings with the surroundings. Two new buildings were created and the palace was recovered.

A volume built half-buried houses the Interpretive Center of the Holy Martyrs of Lisbon. The theme of the permanent exhibition is a founding legend of the city. This involvement led to the creation of paths, ascending ramps, in connivance with the legend itself. The main exhibition room, a perfect dome semi-salient on the rooftop, identifies an ideal space for contemplation, meditation and exaltation.

The solution for the new student residence for the University Institute of Lisbon went through the recovery of the palace and the creation of a new building that houses most of the rooms. The configuration of the new volumes frames the palace, the building is organized and outside areas are distributed. In the palace are located the public and multipurpose spaces, main entrance and reception, lounge and study areas.