The 14-storey office building is located at the west end of Av. Jose Malhoa. It consists of a central core of vertical communications that serve all floors and an open floor plan with visible pillars punctuating the space.
The exterior image of the building is very clear and very dated: 3 distinct volumes frame an uninterrupted black curtain facade.
The program foresaw its conversion to a residential building with 60 to 80 fractions with T3 and T4 typologies. We approached the intervention in two essential points: the transformation of the facade and efficient use of the plant.
On the façade, it is proposed to keep the white surfaces that mark the corners of the volumes and fully replace the black window frames in a balcony running around 70 cm with a deeper area, protected by a transparent screen. This space works as a “filter” between the house and the Avenue.
When dividing the space, we opted for the most rational solution: vertical accesses in the central area of the building, taking advantage of stairs and elevators, and dividing the large space into 4 or 5 apartments per floor.