LIKEarchitects punctuates portuguese palace with illuminated red arches

LIKEarchitects punctuates portuguese palace with illuminated red arches
all images courtesy of LIKEarchitects

LIKEarchitects has designed ‘constell.ation’, a luminous design intervention within the gardens of the presidential portuguese republic residence in lisbon. the installation is materialized by a woven network of contiguous red arches, intertwined within the lush, pristine landscape. contained by a corrugated tube, the bent contours are illuminated by an LED lighting system, connecting spaces and unexpected routes with light. the arch, a primary element in architecture, inherently creates new expanses and builds physical relationships between two disparate places, connecting and unifying its surroundings; ‘constell.ation’ establishes this exchange by spanning across platforms of different levels, through the manicured green bushes and above the water fountain, giving a new sense of continuous to the gardens of the palace, all while evoking a poetic visual language.

‘constell.ation’ pierces the lush gardens of the presidential palace

willing to occupy the monumental scale of the presidential gardens, the glowing intervention builds on an ordinary material, taking it from its original context and using it to transport visitors to an ethereal place. LIKEarchitects describes, ‘different parts of the gardens were invaded by the intense red color that explores introspected moments within the garden, increasing visitors’ curiosity. the red color, of christmas and also of the corrugated tube, gets relevance, even during the day, because of its complementarity with the green of the gardens, obtaining an enormous chromatic contrast, capable of enlarging the presence of the installation to the passers-­by.

glowing red arches weave through trees and scale building walls

running through the manicured gardens

the temporary installation forms a sense of continuity throughout the space

arches, by nature, create new expanses and spaces

illuminated by night, the red arches draw visitors into an ethereal world

overlooking the water fountain at the portuguese republic residence

the striking beams are woven throughout the landscape

integrating within the urban fabric

scaling platforms from the second level to the street

project info:

architects: LIKEarchitects
design team: diogo aguiar, joão jesus, teresa otto and álvaro villa, tania costa coll
location: portuguese presidential residence, lisbon, portugal
date: december 2013 – january 2014
client: museum of the presidency of the portuguese republic main materials corrugated tube photography fg+sg architectural photography

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