In  the  context  of  Portugal’s  housing  crisis,  the  conversion  of  existing  commercial spaces  into  housing  can offer  an  opportunity  to  create  new  homes  without increasing  the  built  footprint  of  our  cities.  This  project explores  that  possibility through  the  transformation  of  a  former  commercial  unit  in  Almada,  Portugal, into a compact one-bedroom apartment. The  project  began  as  an  experimental  exercise: to  understand  what  happens  when  a  commercial  space  is converted  into  a  home, and  how  far  architecture  can  go  when  the  existing  building  imposes  strict limitations.  The  façade  needed  to  be  left  untouched  so  the  change  had  to  happen entirely  inside  the existing envelope.

The  main  challenge  was  the  irregular  geometry  of  the  existing  space.  With  the exterior  walls  fixed,  there was  no  possibility  of  correcting  the  plan  or  simplifying its  geometry.  Instead,  the  design  approach embraced these constraints and sought to make the most efficient use of the available area. With  approximately  48  m²,  every centimetre  matters.  The  layout  was  carefully  developed  to  accommodate all  the functions  required  of  a  contemporary  home  while  maintaining  a  sense  of  spatial continuity  and comfort.  Circulation  was  reduced  to  a  minimum,  and  each  element of  the  plan  was  designed  to  perform as  efficiently  as  possible.

Rather  than  treating  the  irregular  geometry  as  a  limitation  to  be  hidden,  the project uses it as a starting point for organising the interior. A  particularly  important design  decision  was  the  use  of  built-in  wardrobes  as  architectural  elements rather than  simply  as  storage.  In  a  compact  apartment,  creating  a  separate  pantry  or dedicated  storage room  would  consume  a  significant  amount  of  the  already limited floor  area.  Instead,  storage  was incorporated  into  a  continuous  system  of  built-in wardrobes  that  were  used  to  occupy  and  rationalise some  of  the  irregularities  of the  existing  plan.

The  wardrobes  therefore  perform  a  dual  role:  they  provide the  storage  required  for everyday  life  while  simultaneously  defining  and  organising  the  spaces  around them.  By  occupying  the  less  efficient  areas  of  the  plan,  they  transform  what could otherwise  be  residual space into useful domestic infrastructure This  approach  recalls a  broader  modernist  tradition  in  which  storage  is  not  treated  as  an  accessory,  but as part  of  the  architecture  itself.  Jean  Prouvé’s  Maison  de  Prouvé,  for  example, demonstrates  how  extensive storage  can  become  an  organising  element  of  the domestic  plan,  with  cabinets  helping  to  structure circulation and separate the livingspaces from the bedrooms. Here,  that  principle  is  translated  to  a  much  smaller contemporary  dwelling.  Rather  than  adding  walls  and rooms,  the  project  uses furniture  and  storage  to  create  architectural  order.

 The  result  is  a  home  in  which the  elements  necessary  for  living  also  contribute  to  making  the  irregular  plan  feel  more  regular,  efficient and coherent. The  project  ultimately  became  an  exercise  in  architectural  optimisation:  how  can  an  existing  commercial space,  designed  for  an  entirely  different  purpose,  be  transformed  into  a  functional  and  comfortable  home without changing its exterior character? The  result  is  not  simply  a  commercial  unit  with  a  residential  programme  inserted  into  it,  but  a reinterpretation  of  the  existing  space.  The  irregular  perimeter  remains  visible  in  the  geometry  of  the apartment,  while  the  interior  e stablishes  a  more  coherent  and  efficient  domestic  environment.  Here,  the answer lies in using every available centimetre twice — first as space, and then as architecture.