Miguel Pais

A historical heritage building gets back to life

Location: Calçada Eng. Miguel Pais, Lisbon - Portugal
Area: 380 m²
Year: 2014

The rehabilitation of this classified pre-Pombaline building was a challenge. The initial intention was to keep the building as it was, only intervening where necessary. It turned out to be impossible due to the real conditions, discovered at the beginning of the work. It was then opted for a restoration faithful to the existing one, while guaranteeing the stability of a contemporary building. The outer walls were reinforced with steel mesh and concrete, tied together by threaded steel dies and bolted to plates. The interior structure was redesigned similar to the original all in wood. A unique rehabilitation project.

One of the most beautiful things about renovation is to understand the old architectural and construction styles and techniques. This "pré-pombalino" building has more than 300 years old and is part of Lisboa protection heritage building. This project was done under a lot of constrains but in the end he got a new life.