The intervention presents itself as an opportunity to encourage urban revitalisation, as a sign of change and a motto for the start of a wider operation.

The conception of this space as a regeneration generating pole and centre of attractiveness and connection between areas with relevant potential foresees the restructuring of this area with a unifying green structure and the creation of a prominent housing unit in the region.

The realization of a housing structure under a continuous green system will enable the structuring of the territory and the reinforcement of social and urban cohesion, as well as the implementation of notorious urban dynamics, important for the development of the city.

In this sense, this project has a scale, which in itself surpasses the domain of the intervention area, resulting from a global, differentiating and unique vision in the region.

The intervention strategy contemplates:

– Housing. It is planned to build three residential buildings, with a maximum of 12 floors, in a volumetric set of 8 and 12 and a total of approximately 334 dwellings, the design of which should be as flexible as possible and can be adapted to the socio-cultural economic situation of the market, allowing for functional versatility so as to become a reference element in the current context and evolution of the city of Luanda.

– Trade and services. The three buildings are expected to be occupied on the ground floor, in contact with the green space, and the mezzanine floor, with commerce and services, providing the whole enterprise with great dynamics, attractiveness and versatility in terms of occupation proposals. The solution includes a total of 12 spaces, all with one mezzanine floor, and diversified areas.

– Green Zone. It is proposed the creation of a surrounding area of predominant green, singular and unique, with high environmental and landscape quality and differentiation. It works as a platform that shapes the terrain. The limits of the land will have walls 60cm high and up to 2m in green fence. The use of native species is privileged. All the exterior green space to be and leisure will be the target of a more specific landscape study.

– Parking space. Below the green platform, which is the privileged belvedere overlooking the sea, the various levels of parking are distributed below and already underground to support the whole development, as well as the users of the beach and all the green space that is intended as a reference. This underground car park is subdivided in three platforms of two floors below ground each, thus covering the whole intervention area.

This solution aims to explore the potential of the curved line in order to achieve an iconic building with a unique interior ambience.

With the bold design for the Subah Holdings Office Complex, we seek to provide easy visibility to all Subah’s clients from various prime centre of Accra.

Its organization intends to emphasize the teamwork between the users, as well as, to improve different ways of space usage. In order to accomplish that, we proposed different types of office partitioning which can easily adapt to your needs and circumstances. Even more, the solution intends to accommodate different types of spaces through mixed use comprising offices, retail shops and banking halls. 

The design includes all the technical requirements needed in this type of building, even as the necessary conditions for the extensive use of highly sophisticated technology.

This building has an organic form, shaped by the wind forces and the sun path and inspired in the Ghanaian landscapes.

Starting from the premise of making the most of the existing buildings, with a controlled investment, the objective of this intervention is to create commercial and service spaces that primarily serve the regular users of the main Metro lines, as well as the new pedestrian crossing that will allow, for the first time, a qualified access to the Industrial Area of Ramalde, Porto.

On a regular terrain, with longitudinal occupation, it was opted for an intervention contained in the existing buildings, focusing on the burden of intervention in the outer area, creating a space for sharing, inviting occupation and experience, thus reinventing the memory of the space itself. As a result of the need for union between the Metro station and the Industrial Area of Porto, it was decided to create a covered access that would cross the entire lot.

The solution presented has as main objective to value and provide the place with an essential facility for the enjoyment of the values of the beach and the sea in general, aimed at a very comprehensive type of population, ranging from the common tourist using a nearby beach to the casual passer-by.

The construction has a single floor, occupying an area of 195.70 sq.m, being 149.30 sq.m referring to the bar and 46.4 sq.m referring to the beach support itself; it also includes an outdoor uncovered terrace with a useful area of 80.00 sq.m. The space destined to the bar is composed by a living room, sanitary installations, balcony, kitchen and other accessory compartments that perform the function of providing support and conditions of use to these, more important in the morphology of the bar.

The beach support, consists of male and female changing rooms and toilets with independent access directly from the outside, as well as a compartment in each of these spaces for people with reduced mobility. It also includes a beach support warehouse and an information and assistance/surveillance post, a telecommunications line for emergency communications.

The construction of the beach support will be executed in reinforced concrete in sight. Inside, will be used in a general way plaster based finishes on the ceilings and walls and paint with the exception of wet areas, where will be used waterproof and washable coatings.
The volume of the outdoor esplanade will have a structure in painted steel profiles, in order to reduce its erosion, next to a wooden slat that can protect its users from the strong sun exposure in this area, especially in summer.

LX GARDENS SODRÉ presents itself as a project whose spaces are transformed into a concept, a new way of being and living, where the city is connected to the river, the house joins the city, the residents to the visitors, where the interior expands to the outside, considering that the dwelling is not only restricted to the private space of the house but also extends to collective life.  

In a total of 20 flats in the building to the north, and 52 in the building to the south, we propose interiors that combine tradition with contemporaneity, adapted to the needs of the young public that has settled in the area and the more recent corporate environment. These will be versatile flats which, not forgetting the heterogeneity of desires that make up the city, have the chance to be transformed into larger living spaces, or work and workshop spaces, easily adaptable. 

The freedom of use and the flexibility proposed are essential factors in the quality of life and the same is projected for the public space – a sheltered and private square, with a path and free uses at street level and with passages along a structure implanted there that not only allows spaces to be at higher levels, but also several other programmatic uses that give it even more sense: art exhibitions, outdoor projections and other occasional events that are not intended to be fixed. 

The patio is thus transformed into a place of paths – in the large corridor of the “house” – and, at the same time, of stays – in the large living room, hall or library – involved in vegetation that reinterprets the concept of the garden and treats, in a particular way, the gables of adjacent buildings. 

As a place of surprise and well-being, of nature, of the collective and individual experience, of creative, informal and innovative environment, it is believed that LX GARDENS can become a completely different pole, local and international, capable of generating new interests and, given the potential of identity and brand, replicated by other areas of the city. 

More than a construction project, a new lifestyle is proposed for a new inhabited city.

1. Accessibility
The design of the routes in the outdoor space, which is strongly characterized by the topography, enables barrier-free crossing of the area from the northern part of the complex at Fellenbergstrasse to the southern part at Langgrüstraf3e. This circulation also enables joyful moments along the various rooms, which often switch between more public and spacious zones to more intimate and hidden ones. Entrances, general access areas and commercial uses as well as apartments and their sanitary rooms are dimensioned and designed barrier-free or can be adapted to the requirements of the situation.

2. Building development
The building complex is developing in the area in a way that tries to respect and complement the remarkable but calm city figure. The integration of the new proposal is based on the careful placement of the two buildings facing the penalties that border the property, the Fellenberg and Langgrüstraf3e.

These two buildings have the same character and follow the direction of their neighboring buildings, carefully adjusting their height. Both are significantly lower compared to the rest of the complex, so that the penalty images remain unaffected.

However, the proposal not only tries to blend in with its surroundings, but also to create its own strong identity, which becomes more evident in the core of the property, where a green carpet stretches across the two punishments. Here are two buildings with different shapes and a more prominent height, which allow the creation of a more pluralistic interior space. This results in a large number of apartment types and with different levels of sunlight.

On the ground floor, the green carpet is activated with entrances, common rooms and public programs such as the kindergarten or the social rooms.

3. Materialization
The composition of the four buildings is on a generous entrance level, which is emphasized by a particularly generous floor height and a change of material in the lower part is underlined. This level is interrupted by the interplay of the house entrances, large-format windows for commercial use and smaller windows for communal use. The rear-ventilated wooden facade that characterizes the entire complex develops from there. This block of wood is interrupted on each level by a self-supporting concrete balcony, which protrudes from the main structure and at the same time marks the change of level and provides the balcony areas. The balcony areas play a crucial role in the overall expression of the building. The densification with metal masts and the slight inclination of the facade creates a filigree appearance that refines the urban expression and gives each individual outdoor area a special and unique quality.

4. Economy
The urban settlement with four partially deep, compact buildings of simple geometry is the basis for an economic project. The conventional supporting structure in combination with prefabricated façade elements, a balanced proportion of glass in the façade and the use of common structures enable an economical one
Realization. The consistent use of suitable, durable and robust materials, constructions and surfaces leads to economical operating and maintenance costs. The project parameters HNF/GF, AN, AN, Ao/GF are in a good range.

5. Building technology & energy

A balanced proportion of glass in the facades and the compactness of the building due to deep and few structures form the basis for an energy-optimized overall system. The building technology concept is based on a building-by-building system for HLS in the basement, which is directly connected to vertical riser zones. PV systems and thermal solar collectors can be combined with green flat roofs. The heat is generated via the district heating network according to availability. All in all, the prerequisites for achieving the Minergie-P-Eco target values ​​are good.

The MTower stands out as a distinctive mark in the Maputo landscape. Its development was based on a movement and torsion desire, creating a svelte yet emblematic building.

The exterior mesh clothes the building as the capulana (traditional clothing) clothes the Mozambican woman. Aside from the aesthetic value, it has more than one function: it supports the exterior elevation, it provides partial shade to spaces, it permits window bays and outdoor areas to be created, all protected by this permeable mesh. It also allows the natural ventilation of the building, an essential aspect for sustainable building management in this climate. Further attention is given to the adequate lighting of spaces; natural cooling of spaces by using free cooling; shade for the windows provided by the mesh, the reflectance of the glass and the addition of screens and blackouts – ecodesign solutions that support the adequate management of existing resources, thus minimising the impacts and costs associated with the building.

This is a competition project, a singular building, an icon that could mark Maputo’s skyline, communicating Mozambican culture to the world, its traditions and modernity depending upon institutions’ desire and approval.