This project involves the refurbishment of a compact two-bedroom apartment located on the ground floor of a 1970s residential building in Caxias. Its main asset was a generous and sunny rear courtyard, previously underused due to the original layout.
The existing organisation, with bedrooms facing the street and living areas to the rear, was constrained by the position of the sole bathroom along the back elevation, separating the living room from the kitchen and limiting access to the outdoor space.
The intervention preserved the two street-facing bedrooms and repositioned the existing bathroom between the private and social areas, freeing the entire rear façade. This adjustment allowed natural light to extend across the living space and enabled a direct relationship with the courtyard, while ensuring bathroom access from the bedroom hall without crossing the social area.
The interior layout now features an open-plan kitchen and living room, enhancing spatial continuity and views towards the exterior, complemented by a compact guest bathroom.
Externally, the courtyard was redesigned across two levels, with a height difference of approximately one metre. The lower platform, aligned with the apartment’s floor level, was extended from 1.5 m to around 4.5 m in depth, allowing for a generous outdoor dining table and lounge area. The level change was used to integrate a laundry space and a continuous bench supporting the new outdoor living area.
Material continuity is achieved through a sage-green palette, applied to the self-levelling epoxy flooring throughout the apartment and extended to the joinery, including doors, skirtings and kitchen units. In the wet areas, hydraulic tiles in white and sage green cover floors and walls, continuing onto the shower ceiling and across the entire waterproofed terrace. The remaining courtyard area is finished in grass, ensuring permeability and material contrast.
The project redefines a small apartment as a continuous sequence of interior and exterior spaces, where light, colour and spatial clarity shape everyday living.
Team:
Architects: João Tiago Aguiar, arquitectos
Responsible Architects: João Tiago Aguiar
Architecture Collaboration: Rita Cardoso de Lemos, Giulia Giust, Rúben Mateus, Diogo Romão, Ricardo Carvalho, Élvio Gomes, Carolina Silva, Paulo Jorge Dias, João Fonseca, Nuno Sequeira, Pedro Vieira, Gonçalo Coimbra, Francisca Fernandes, Mariana Albergaria de Sousa, Renata Vieira.
Engineering: Engenharia 3.4
Builder: Baukell
Photography Francisco Nogueira
Materials Used:
CIN paints
SANINDUSA / BRUMA Equipamento sanitário & torneiras / sanitary equipment & taps
GLS2 carpintarias / carpentry
JUNG aparelhagem / switches & sockets
CORTIZO caixilharia / Metal works
KOKLATT Mosaico hidráulico / Hydraulic mosaic
