Prédio EC26 | João Tiago Aguiar, arquitectos

EC26 is the comprehensive rehabilitation and extension of an 18th-century residential building in Príncipe Real, Lisbon.

The structure was in advanced decay. Collapsed floors, exposed timber beams, prolonged moisture damage and excessive compartmentalisation compromised both stability and habitability. What remained were its proportions: generous ceiling heights, vertical openings, stone frames and metal railings that defined its architectural identity.

The intervention began with a global structural operation. A new underground level for parking and storage was introduced, requiring full support of the existing construction. This decision clarified the programme and redefined the relationship between building and courtyard.

Internally, careful decompartmentalisation restored spatial continuity and daylight. The deep gable wall became an organising element in the new layout. At the upper levels, the reconfiguration of the roof and the introduction of dormers redefine inhabitable space while preserving the established urban silhouette.

Both the main and rear façades are entirely clad in handmade bottle-green tiles. The gesture does not replicate a historical image; it reinterprets a Lisbon constructive tradition through a restrained and unified language. The repetition of the ceramic module gives depth and continuity to the volume, working alongside restored stone frames and redesigned metal railings.

At the rear, the courtyard is structured as a garden, strengthening the relationship between interior and exterior. The previously semi-buried ground floor becomes the “garden house”: a duplex defined by a double-height space and tall vertical openings directly connected to the landscape.

The interior material palette remains restrained: natural stone, wide timber boards, integrated joinery and light surfaces that enhance daylight. The project seeks continuity between existing structure and contemporary addition, avoiding formal contrast.

EC26 aims to re-enter the city through the restitution of stability, proportion and urban presence.

Project team: Diogo Romão, Rúben Mateus, Nuno Sequeira, Giulia Giust, Rita Cardoso Lemos, Pedro Vieira, Paulo Jorge Dias, Élvio Gomes Pereira, João Carlos Fonseca, Ricardo Carvalho, Maria Sousa Otto, Ozora Kuzayama, Maria Reis, Francisco Barosa, Susana Luís, Samanta Cardoso de Menezes, Mariana Santos, Arianna Camozzi, Beatriz Fróis, Francisco Duarte, Constança Lino, Renata Vieira.

Photography: João Peleteiro