Benformoso Loft

The project is located on Rua do Benformoso, near Martim Moniz Square in Lisbon—an urban area characterized by a frenetic, fast-paced rhythm and a multicultural atmosphere. It involves the rehabilitation of an attic apartment (águas-furtadas) in a 19th-century building for short-term renting. This typology is defined by short and intense stays, allowing for the exploration of spatial experiences distinct from everyday routines.

​

The existing spatial configuration, divided by a cross-shaped partition into four similar rooms, did not suit the new purpose. Therefore, responding to the brief, a new layout was established around a central freestanding volume (module) that remains detached from the perimeter of the pre-existing walls.

​

This module houses the kitchen and storage spaces inside, acting as a divider between the social and private areas. On top of it sits a sleeping loft that takes advantage of the roof slope without enclosing itself, contributing to a spatial fluidity unusual in traditional dwellings.

​

It is built with a lightweight steel frame structure to avoid adding excess load to the building and is clad in white-lacquered MDF panels to maximize light diffusion. In the social area, the same panels feature a circular perforated pattern, mediating the transition to the kitchen while preventing it from becoming a segregated space devoid of natural light.

​

The relationship with the city occurs at the extremities of the apartment through dormer windows: to the east, the original dormer was preserved, while to the west, the existing dormer was enlarged to take greater advantage of sunlight and views over the hill.