Urban expansion and unplanned construction generally have a negative effect on the land. Large-scale destruction of our interpretation of the natural landscape, which is not replaced by a recognizable order, degrades the environment, as well as impoverishing man’s relationship with his habitat. This lack of planning, combined with the imposition of mediocre plans, unfortunately controls most of our new urban areas. In this context, although it functions on a different scale, high-quality architecture should help resolve, or at least reduce, the negative impact of these tainted origins. The importance of these experiences brings to architecture a sense of service, great stringency and a total commitment to reality. So architecture is not in a perfect context, nor is the brief ideal, but it works in these particular circumstances where it can, and should, make a difference. The AJ99 apartment building by Paulo David is rigorously inserted, nit because it is related to the context or prolongs it, but because it takes up a critical position in relation to it. This position is not in fact displayed in the structure, a banal arrangement of floors of flats to left and right – although this is worked out in an excellent way, with a consistent and commendable design. The critique is mainly manifested by the building’s urban role, with its abstract image and discreet presence. The building’s image is a critique of the scale of the various whimsical efforts surrounding it. At the same time, it is a black hole with a temperature that transports us closer to the site’s previous characteristics. The project is rigorous, uses elements that are recognizable in modern architecture, and displays no formal or constructional excesses. In its totality it solves the problem, and gives us a real civic and professional lesson.