aurora arquitectos juxtaposes old and new inside spacious lisbon apartment

in lisbon, portugal, local studio aurora arquitectos has completed an architectural intervention on a traditional apartment in estrela. the design team began by first acknowledging the existing and delicate framework of the original apartment. it dealt with recovering the original design elements and language in order to expand its constructive qualities.

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the wooden floors, kitchen tiles, door trims, and wall and ceiling decorations were left unchanged. the south side of the apartment, comprising the kitchen, service areas and a bedroom, was also left with its original configuration. ‘the way we worked on the kitchen’s tiled surfaces shows the desire to highlight the differences between the original traits and the intervention,’ explains aurora arquitectos. ‘besides from allowing a sense of continuity in the renovation process, it also provides contrast with the juxtaposed new elements.’

the program has been completely redefined

the purposely imposed contrast is evident on the north side of the apartment and highlights the theme of ‘reversibility’. the private programs, initially comprising of three bedrooms, gave place to a single living room. the social area, consisting the former living-room and a study, became two bedrooms and a walk-in closet. this reconfiguration deals with how to unite what had so far been separate, and divide what had so far been whole.

the wooden floors, kitchen tiles, door trims, and wall and ceiling decorations were left unchanged

meanwhile in the living room, the reference to the demolished walls stands, through its framed negative, as a time-based coordinate, is now defined by a rim of wood and brass. there is also a hint of wall-crossing, left by mere traces of doors, their remaining trims and headers. in its turn, the wall now dividing the bedrooms draws attention back to itself as a separation apparatus, and taking spatial reading back to the original living room.

the living, dining and lounge seamlessly flows onto one another

‘it is, then, from the constant dialogue between the previous elements and the new ones, that the creation of unexpected possibilities emerges. a kind of palimpsest as a way of rethinking and challenging the pre-established functions and relationships, from dwellers to architecture itself.’ – aurora arquitectura

a rim of wood and brass has been added to define each area in the main area

the way the architects approached the kitchen’s tiled surfaces shows the desire to highlight the differences between the original traits and the intervention. besides from allowing a sense of continuity in the renovation process, it also provides contrast with the juxtaposed new elements.

the original detailing is more apparent in the kitchen

old and new is juxtaposed with the added storage area